September 17, 2020

LifeDate Fall 2020

by Pastor Michael Salemink

Lutherans For Life equips Lutherans to be Gospel-motivated voices For Life.

Gospel-motivated means compassion. It means we don’t shout in anger. It means we don’t lash out in fear. It means we don’t accuse, assume, or assert our superiority.

Gospel-motivated means we speak because our Heavenly Father has spoken to us. He has spoken grace and mercy, survival and salvation, promise and power. Gospel-motivated means we act because our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has acted on our behalf. He has enacted substitution and sacrifice, forgiveness and freedom, resurrection and relief, healing and hope. It means we speak and act in gladness and gratitude.

Gospel-motivated means we tell how Almighty God creates every human life as special, and that we treat them with that sanctity. It means we declare how He redeems every human life as precious, and that we demonstrate it to them. It means we proclaim how He calls every human life His own priceless treasure from fertilization to forever, and that we put it into practice.

Gospel-motivated means concern not only for cute little babies and dear old ladies, but also for those who permit, promote, and participate in abortion and assisted suicide. It means we receive every neighbor, no matter what age or appearance or ability, even the ones who look strange or smell funny or vote different or otherwise get under our skin, whether they hold our faith or hate it, we regard each one as a gift and privilege from heaven. It means we seek not only to spare them from immediate deceptions and earthly threats but also to secure and safeguard their eternal existence.

Gospel-motivated means we listen rather than just lecture. It means we lead to the truth instead of beat with the truth. It means we invite and embrace, courteous and considerate, rather than ignore. It means we assist, respectful and sensitive, instead of dismiss. It means we love and serve, humble and gentle, and not command and control. It means we give to meet material needs, generous and friendly, and not manipulate.

Gospel-motivated means we don’t make it our mission to defund Planned Parenthood. We don’t make it our mission to reverse Roe v. Wade. We don’t aspire merely to win arguments or prevail in debates. We don’t set sights simply on endorsing the right legislation or electing the best leaders. We don’t even devote ourselves just to ending abortion and preventing euthanasia. Of course, we work toward these ends and rejoice when God grants them. But Gospel-motivated means bringing all the blessings of Jesus Christ to the broken one right in front of us.

Gospel-motivated means we aim for every member of our race to become our neighbor, and every neighbor to become our brother and sister for the age to come.