The Paraclete
An E-mail Update for Life Advocates
January 2011
NEWS AND NOTES:
- Renewal For life’s NEW site is live! To register on the new site, go to www.rflonline.org and click the “Request Login” link, you will receive password and confirmation information via email to get you logged in!
- Join the RFL Forum!! Click on the FORUM banner in the RFL site. Login using the same username and password as the RFL site. Then join a group! To join click on the “Groups” tab and browse groups. We have a Forum started for both pastors and Life Advocates!!
Some Devotional Thoughts
We sing it after receiving our Lord’s Body and Blood.
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
(Luke 2:29-32 ESV)
Like Simeon, there in the sacrament we see our salvation. How astonishing! How blessed was Simeon. How blessed are we. Depart in peace indeed!
Something else astonishing appears in this departure song. Jesus would be, “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.” Now that may not appear too astonishing to us. We think about Epiphany and missions and making Jesus known to the nations. But, as my vicarage supervisor used to say, “Think Hebrew!” Despite Old Testament prophecies to the contrary, by the time of Jesus, the Jews were locked into the idea of a Messiah from the Jews and only for the Jews. Salvation for the Gentiles? Light for the Gentiles? That would be unbelievably astonishing.
You may recall the Apostles dealt with this issue early on. God had to treat Peter to a heavenly picnic of unclean foods to get his attention (Acts 10), and Peter was “amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured even on the Gentiles” (10:45). The first church council meeting was convened to deal with this very question (Acts 15). Unlike many subsequent church council meetings, they actually reached a consensus! “Even the Gentiles?” Yes, even them.
Jesus came to be a light for sinners trapped in the darkness, for sinners who were outcasts and for sinners who were weak and sick and vulnerable. In one sense, as you consider the nature of Jesus’ ministry and who he hung out with and talked with and ate with, you can say that Jesus came especially for the outcasts and weak and vulnerable. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Matthew 9:12).
What an astonishing, life-affirming, Epiphany message! And we are privileged to apply it in the life arena! Can’t you just hear it? “Could God love me? Look at the mess I’m in, sixteen and pregnant.” Yes, especially you. “Can I ever be forgiven for my abortion, having my own child killed?” Yes, especially you. “Is God still with me? I had to make difficult decisions before my husband’s death. I’m not sure they were the right ones.” Yes, especially you. “Look at me, confined to bed, confused, scared. Could God possibly have any use for me?” Yes, especially you.
The message we get to share, the message you help us equip others to share, goes beyond the sometimes empty “God loves you” to the full and true essence of the Gospel and why Jesus came, God loves especially you. Thank you for your faithful partnership in 2010 in getting that message out. I look forward to serving with you in 2011 as we offer ourselves as God’s instruments in making that message known in new and exciting ways.
Life Advocate Team Training – Power Points
Last month we started looking at the power points available on RFLOnline.org. These teaching tools are an effective and easy way to share a particular For Life message. This month we continue the commentary on the remaining presentations.
Cherish the Children
This presentation is based on Matthew 18:1-10 where Jesus says that “children” are greatest in the kingdom of heaven. It can be used as a sermon or a Bible study presentation or an opening devotion for a meeting or gathering. It would make a great topic for a women’s or men’s group. It focuses on the fact that when Jesus refers to “children” He has in mind all who are vulnerable and in need. That is how children were viewed in the Bible. A quote from the presentation: “A child is pictured as being unwise, unable, unequipped, and completely dependent on the actions of others to survive and thrive. A child is anyone who is vulnerable and in need. A child is anyone who needs to be cherished. A child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
This power point gives opportunity to share that the “life issues” are not confined to just the unborn and abortion. It certainly addresses this but also those dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, those burdened with the guilt of a past abortion, people with disabilities, and the elderly. The overall point it makes is that we do not reach out and help these “children” just because they are precious. We do so because they are precious to God.
The Basics of Advanced Directives
As the title indicates, this presentation defines and talks about Advance Directives. It helps the audience understand the difference between Living Wills and Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care and gives examples of each. It provides links to LFL’s brochure by the same title and other end-of-life resources we carry. It provides suggested sources for samples of acceptable directives.
The presentation also addresses questions people often have about refusing medical treatment. What is acceptable for a Christian to do and what is not? It addresses the issue of human suffering and how we serve a God who not only knows about suffering because He’s God, but because He is a God who suffered in the person of Jesus Christ! It leads people to an understanding that as long as God gives life, He gives life meaning and purpose. It concludes with a short “advertisement” about LFL and the resources we have to offer and an invitation to learn and do more.
This presentation can be used in just about any setting involving high school and older audiences. It is especially meaningful, however, for groups made up of mostly elderly members. You may want to have some of the suggested resources on hand. I would also be helpful to have samples of the suggested Advance Directives.
God’s Knitting Room
Prepared by Connie Davis, president of LFL of Michigan, this power point is designed for elementary school use. All children, Preschool through 8th grade, will enjoy this presentation. It is not overly long so would work in a variety of settings from classrooms to day school chapels.
It emphasizes the preciousness of all life at all stages of development because we are all the work of God’s hands. We have all been “knit together” in the womb—God’s Knitting Room! The slides are very colorful and do a good job of engaging the children.
Fetal models would supplement this presentation very well, something the children can touch. Another good teaching tool would be the “Watch Me Grow Posters” available [add link]
Free Will Life Offering
If your Life Advocate Team is not in the church budget, Life Sunday is a good time to request that a free will offering be taken to support the Life Ministry in your congregation and various projects that you might have going or want to get going if you had some funds. I would also be so bold to suggest that a portion of such an offering could be sent to us here at the Life Center for the overall support of this vital For Life ministry.
(Life Quotes and Life Thoughts can also be found on the Home page in the Renewal For Life library.)
Life Quotes – February 6 – 27
February 6 “God only has one ‘natural’ child. He adopted all the rest. (See Galatians 4:4-5.) ” Rev. Dr. James I. Lamb, executive director of Lutherans For Life – A “Life Quote” from Lutherans For Life – www.lutheransforlife.org
February 13 “Christians must see children as gifts from God, not as projects. We should see marriage and parenthood as a stewardship and privilege, not as a mere lifestyle choice. We must resist the cultural seductions and raise children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and understand family life as a crucible for holiness, not an experiment in happiness.” Albert R. Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary – A “Life Quote” from Lutherans For Life – www.lutheransforlife.org
February 20 “This [the humanity of the embryo] implies a commitment in advance to treat all human beings as persons, even when their personal qualities have not yet become manifest to us. The embryo is of interest to us because it is human; it is ‘ourselves.’” Oliver O’Donovan, a scholar in the field of Christian ethics – A “Life Quote” from Lutherans For Life – www.lutheransforlife.org
February 27 “Are you pregnant? Maybe you are struggling with a decision about what to do. Remember there is hope and help! Abortion is not the easy solution. Choose life for your baby. God will walk with you. He can bring Christian friends to support you … Let someone know you need assistance … You can also call Word of Hope at 888.217.8679. And remember LFL is here to serve and help too.” Kay L. Meyer, director of development for Lutherans For Life – A “Life Quote” from Lutherans For Life – www.lutheransforlife.org
Life Thoughts – February 6 – 27
February 6 – Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
Salt does little good if left in the shaker. Jesus charges His followers to be the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13) not “salt of the pews.” It is good to gather with our fellow “grains of salt.” That’s where we renew our “saltiness.” But we cannot influence the world from our pews. This world desperately needs our influence to preserve truth, morality, and human worth. This world desperately needs our influence to point them to the source of truth, morality, and human worth—Jesus Christ, Son of God.
February 13 – Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
God tells His people, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). He exhorts them to choose life but there is no exhortation to choose blessing. That’s because blessings flow from the choice of life. Choosing life over death will always be blessed by God.
February 20 – Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
The “love your neighbor” thing is not good enough for Jesus. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Loving and praying for enemies and persecutors may not turn them into neighbors, but it sure makes you a good one—“sons of your Father who is in heaven” (6:45). That makes Jesus—who loved you while you were His enemy—your brother! Even enemies of Christ and enemies of life need to be loved and prayed for.
February 27 – Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?” (Isaiah 49:15) I answer “Never!” and I believe that is the answer God implies here. The bond between a mother and her unborn baby is so strong and so intimate that when that bond is broken by misfortune or by choice, there is no forgetting. But even if such a forgetting could happen, God never forgets us—never! Even those who are trying to forget a terrible choice, through repentance and forgiveness in Christ, can find themselves engraved in the palms of God’s hands (49:16).