by Pastor Paul Clark, President of LFL of Michigan
Jesus said, “Whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:5-7).
We stand together, one in mind and heart, and with one voice, in defense of the lives of our unborn children—God’s precious little ones. Yet, what we stand for is not only the lives of these precious unborn children, but also the moms, the dads, the grandmas and grandpas, the young and the old, the healthy and the sick and dying. What we stand for is the very value—the very gift—of life itself.
We continue to be a voice for the voiceless. We speak because we must, for there is a darkness over much of our nation, and a deathly shadow has fallen over the minds of many. Many bought into the lie that abortion is primarily about women’s health care. It is not. Abortion is not and has never been about true health care.
Dear brothers and sisters: We who are blessed to know the Lord of Life also know that in even the darkest hour, the truth still shines forth, and it shines all the brighter. God has given us life. He has redeemed us through Jesus. Life is of great value—each and every single human life. For the same Lord Jesus who said, “Let the little children come to me” (Matthew 19:14) is the One who brought you to Him as well, through those blessed and saving waters of our Holy Baptism.
By the mercy and grace of God shown to us sinners, by the baptismal washing that makes us clean, by the holy food of the Sacrament that nourishes us in body and soul, we are called and empowered to speak and defend the lives of our babies. We are called to double-down on our efforts to love and encourage and help those in turmoil, in crisis, in fear, and in despair. This we do through our prayers and our Gospel-motivated deeds of caring and love. We do this through our steady support of our pregnancy resource centers, as well as the ongoing efforts of Lutherans For Life, that we may be Gospel-motivated voices For Life!
Dear fellow saints: We have put on Christ; we are His own. And here is where we stand: Living under Him in His kingdom and serving Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. That is why we want to be Gospel-motivated voices For Life. We care. We care about that precious baby, but we also care about the mom. We care about that woman who is haunted by the guilt and shame of a past abortion. We care about the people of our state and the future of our nation. We care because Jesus cares for us. We love because God first loved us. And this we know! Our Lord Jesus—who died for us and took away all of our sin and guilt and shame—is risen and ascended to the Father’s throne. JESUS LIVES! THE VICTORY’S WON! We are His people, a new creation, called out of darkness and into His marvelous light.
Stand your ground. Continue in the battle. But do so in love and compassion and in the truth that sets us free—the truth of Christ crucified for you. For through all the darkness of sin and evil—even when it seeks to overwhelm you—there stands Jesus. The One who loves you and gave Himself for you—your SAVIOR, your KING, and your ETERNAL HOPE and JOY!