Thought for the Week

Scriptures to Read:

Psalm 139:1-12

Psalm 139:13-24

I Peter 2:9-12

Psalm 127:3-128:4

St. John 15:1-8

St. Matthew 18:1-6

St. John 15:9-17

…The Little Children” and …Me.” In these two scripturally based hymns, we can easily see His love for infants, toddlers and small children, This is also confirmed in St. Matthew 18:1-5 when Jesus says, “Children are the greatest in the Kingdom of God,” and in St. Mark 9:36-37 and 10:13-16 when He takes them in His arms and blesses them. What about the pre-born or the unborn? Does God love them too? There is evidence He did for Jeremiah (1:5-6) and David (Psalm 139:15-16). God, as The Creator designed humankind in His own image and after His Own likeness. (See Genesis 1:26-27). He has a plan, a purpose, and a role to be filled by every individual and sometimes by groups as well. (See Exodus 19:5, Jeremiah 29:11, I Peter 2:9, and I Corinthians 6:19-20.)

God is very much involved in life from conception to end of life. Life belongs in His hands. (See Deuteronomy 32:39 and Psalm 139:16b.) My reasoning and rationale may seem simplistic. I believe abortion and euthanasia are wrong. I do differentiate between euthanasia (mercy killing) and removal of life-support (allowing life to end without mechanically sustaining body functions). One is deliberately ending life the other is prolonging an unsustainable life. I know and understand miracles have happened, but as I have said I am a simplistic person. I believe God is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent. He has pronounced His blessing on human life, making it sacred. He owns each life for two reasons: (1) He has created every life with a purpose that is His own and (2) because mankind is guilty of sin and sinning.

God has required Himself to redeem life from death and destruction. Truly, God has also created all life. But human life has a greater value than animal life. Man was created with multiple roles: Humankind was created for the pleasure of God (see Revelation 4:11 and Colossians 1:10-16), for fellowship with God (as implied in Genesis 3:8 and I Corinthians 1:9) to do the works assigned by God (Ephesians 2:10 and St. John 15:5-8) and to love and minister to fellow humans.

The general call to man is found in Genesis, “Be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth and subdue it…” (1:28). There is a special call placed upon Christians. We are to love one another. It is the clearest demonstration of our Christianity. In this way, we are to minister to one another. But there is also a responsibility to care for the needs of others. In our world, suffering abounds. It has been so and will continue until Christ returns. It is true we cannot eliminate pain and suffering but we have responsibility to alleviate it whenever and to whatever degree is within our capability.

To this end hospitals, nursing homes, soup kitchens, food banks, orphanages, and a host of institutions and ministries have been created and are maintained. I would be delighted if the world in which we live considered life to be sacred. It seems clear to me it is what God wants. But, too often the world ignores the God of the Bible and the Bible. I would like to have included the Church in the list of what the world ignores but sometimes I think the church patterns itself after the world and not after the Bible.

So, when the world looks at the church there is not clear, sharp example of how God wants us to live. The church gives no clear signal about life being sacred.