August 30, 2024

This project is shared by the Fond du Lac LFL #304 Life Chapter in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

Several years ago, the Life Chapter added a rocking chair, a bassinet, a prayer shawl, and a small table holding a red rose beside their display of printed resources. It immediately attracted more people to their table for conversation and the chance to distribute their life-affirming materials. You might even consider expanding this great display idea with items such as a wheelchair, walker, cane, crutches, and an adult sized bib. Anything that aids the understanding that life issues occur from fertilization to forever would add to the deeper meaning of your display. A special thank you to our Wisconsin friends for sharing their idea and positive experience.

For many years, Lutherans For Life has produced Gospel-motivated, life-affirming resources to encourage you to celebrate a Sanctity of Life Sunday. Why do we do this? Why should you celebrate a Life Sunday? Because, of all that He has created, God values human lives above all else, and the world in which we live does not. The Body of Christ must be a voice For Life, or individuals will never know of their great value to the God who created them in His image.

In Psalm 139:14 we read: “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” And again, in Psalm 139:16: “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

These verses from God’s Word speak the truth about the value of every human being, yet there are those who do not believe this truth, and there are those who do believe but need to be strengthened and supported in that belief. That is why the Church needs to speak the truth.

Helpful Resources

Where should you start? With your pastor! Make your Life Sunday a celebration. Go to the Life Sunday resource page on our website, familiarize yourself with the resources we offer, and then speak to your pastor about the wonderful materials already available to make a Life Sunday a meaningful celebration of life—sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, children’s bulletins, and more! (Store: Life Sunday 2025)

The 2025 Life Sunday theme is “Life Shines in the Darkness” and is based on John 1:4-5: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Print and Electronic Resources

If your church does not already have a selection of life resources on display year-round, please consider a special display on a variety of life issues on Life Sunday. Many of our resources may be found on our website (lutheransforlife.org/resources/store/).

Many LFL resources can also be found at Concordia Publishing House (CPH) (cph.org/c-1006-lutherans-for-life). You may also call CPH at 800.325.3040.

 Display Materials

You can display items on a single table or add a brochure rack. You might search the web for a collapsible brochure rack that may be used on Life Sunday or year-round. There are racks in many sizes and prices. A rack greatly expands the number of brochures you can display at one time, which expands the number of life issues for which you can provide information.

Many life ministry groups make their own signs and banners and may choose to ask other gifted church members to assist. Your personal handiwork is surely God-pleasing. You can also find many signs and displays at Heritage House ’76 (www.pro.life). If you want to learn more about personalized banners or standing displays, please contact Lowell Highby, Lutherans For Life Director of Communications, at lhighby@lutheransforlife.org.

If “a picture is worth a thousand words,” then click on the link to Nine Facets of a Healthy Life Ministry (lutheransforlife.org/nine-facets-of-a-healthy-life-ministry), and you will find a life issues iceberg graphic on page five. (Don’t forget to review this entire new document published just for you!) You might consider printing the iceberg and putting it in a standing frame on your display table. You may also contact info@lutheransforlife.org, and the Volunteer Relations Team will send you a copy via email.

Does your church have a set of life-sized fetal models? Consider purchasing a set to show all ages the wonder and beauty of the unborn child. Fetal models may be purchased from Heritage House (www.pro.life). They are useful in children’s sermons and Sunday school lessons as well as on Life Sundays! Smaller sizes and various models are also available. The models do come on sale periodically if cost is an issue.

Celebrating Life Sunday

Remember, Life Sunday may be observed on any Sunday of the year. However, many churches hold their Life Sunday in January, the month in which Roe v. Wade opened the door to unlimited abortion. In 2025, the official Life Sunday is scheduled for January 19, the beginning of Life Week. During Life Week, LFL conducts evening presentations all week long that are available to your entire congregation. This leads to the end of the week when the youth head to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Y4Life conference that includes participating in the March for Life. Find out more about the Y4Life event at y4life.org/event/y4life-in-washington-d-c-january-23-25-2025. Please consider sponsoring the youth in your church, enabling them to attend.

After 50 years, some congregations have opted to hold their Life Sunday near June 24 when Roe v. Wade was overturned. The important thing is to observe Life Sunday! Being For Life is not all about abortion. It is about life at all phases and ages!

Need More Ideas?

  • Consider using the Life Sunday bulletin inserts.
  • Distribute white roses to members. White roses symbolize innocence and purity as well as a remembrance of those lost to abortion.
  • Hold a coffee hour with plenty of goodies and be available to answer questions about your resources.
  • Gift the altar flowers to someone in the congregation: the oldest mom or dad, the family with the most children, the oldest member of the congregation, the youngest member of the congregation, etc.
  • Add brochures from your local pregnancy resource center(s) to your display table.
  • Give away candy, precious feet pins, 10-week fetal models, etc. Heritage House ‘76 has tons of merchandise for special life events (www.pro.life).

Celebrating life with a Sanctity of Life Sunday will mean extra work and add some cost as well, but the world so desperately needs the Body of Christ to affirm this greatest of all gifts—life! By reminding people of the sanctity of life, we also remind them how valuable that life is. Our Lord Jesus gave His life to give us life everlasting. The two are inseparable. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).