Sunday, January 25, 2009

Sanctity of Human Life

Sanctity of Human Life
A Reading of Responsibility

Sanctity of human life started back in the beginning. God created all, but he created man and woman a little different. The Bible says in Genesis that they were created in the image of God, set apart from the rest of creation for a special relationship with God. We continue to see the sanctity of human life throughout the Bible: Jesus reminds us of the value of children, James reminds us to take care of the widows and orphans; The Law demands that we make provisions for the poor and for foreigners. And Paul warns us against racism and against looking down on those in different social strata than us. From beginning to end we see that God values human life and considers it sacred.
Our temptation now is to concentrate on one part of the greater problem of the sanctity of human life. Reminding ourselves and each other that life starts in the womb and that any baby that dies – whether pre-birth, during birth, or after birth should be mourned is a good thing. But we cannot stop there. As Christians we must stand for the sanctity of human life from the womb to the nursing home, from our doorstep to the backwater tribes of Africa. We cannot fight for the sanctity of human life on the topic of abortion while at the same time we say nothing about the slaughtering of that sanctity on the islands of Asia.
As Christians we must stand beside the persecuted and forgotten; the fetus and the sex slave; the orphan and the aged; the battered woman and the starving child. We must link arms against abortion, the AIDS epidemic, genocide, and exploitation. We need to be the leading voices in reminding the world that every life matters.
This is not a government project or a political platform: this is a relational requirement. God began human history by setting mankind apart. His expectations and viewpoint have not changed. He is a God who cares for all, who cares for you. He even knows the number of hairs on our head. Let us not forget He even cared enough for mankind that he sent a savior to give us life to the fullest.
Let us pray.
O God, our help, please remind us of our responsibilities as humans to one another. We as Christians are your ambassadors here on earth; please show us what you want us to be involved in. Please show us what should be important to us. O God our creator let us not forget those that are hurting, and unable to help themselves. Let us remember that true religion, according to James, is just that, helping those who cannot help themselves. O God our potter, help us to remember that we are clay in your hands, but that you have not thrown us away, but have molded us as vessels of honor – more and more into your image every day. O God our Savior, let us tell of your salvation to all, that all may know that you have made a way for us. O God our Father, we thank you for adoption, that we are no longer orphans without a home, but that we are now sons, daughters and heirs. We pray these things in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen
First read at Central Free Will Baptist Church in Royal Oak Michigan on January 25th 2009.