Please note: these are the notes for comments shared with the church on Sunday, July 3rd, 2022

There’s simply no way to cover the ground needed, so please consider these my introductory comments into a subject matter that I believe will be before us for years to come. The court’s decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Not only this decision but its subsequent implications on Roe vs Wade, Casey - is a mixture of morality, ethics, theology, education, law, science and politics. We need the holy Spirit’s help to think clearly on these matters and their rightful place in our governance, homes and our own hearts.

James 1:19–21 [19] Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; [20] for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. [21] Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Last Friday, along with many of you, I rejoiced when I heard that the court had ruled to overturn Roe & Casey as a legal precedent. I rejoice when our governmental systems right what I believe to be wrongs from the past and align with what I believe to be a biblical worldview.

Metro Life Church’s stance on life is very simply this: as bearers of the image that God has given to us, we affirm the sanctity and dignity of life. This includes conception, to natural death, and eternity.

As it relates to the beginning of life, we see the following in scripture:

1. Luke 1:41–44. Before the birth of John the Baptist, when his mother, Elizabeth, was in about her sixth month of pregnancy, she was visited by her relative, Mary, who was to become the mother of Jesus.
   1. “Behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.”
2. Psalm 51:5. David thinks back to the time of his birth and says that he was “brought forth” from his mother’s womb.
3. Psalm 139:13. David also thinks of himself as having been a person while he was growing in his mother’s womb, for he says: 
   1. “You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”
4. Genesis 25:22–23. Rebekah, the wife of Isaac, was pregnant with the twins who were to be named Jacob and Esau. Once again, unborn babies are viewed as “children” within their mother’s womb.
5. Exodus 21:22–25. For the question of abortion, perhaps the most significant passage of all is found in the specific laws God gave Moses for the people of Israel during the time of the Mosaic covenant. One particular law spoke of the penalties to be imposed if the life or health of a pregnant woman or her unborn child was endangered or harmed.(1)

One thing we want to be aware of in the church - is not just voicing opposition to things in the world that fall short of God’s good and wise design for his glory - but to be part of the solution when people turn to us for help.  

As I briefly shared last week, our mission is not beginning - it’s continuing while exponentially expanding.

We celebrate both fostering and adoption, making ourselves available to mothers and fathers in crisis as they choose life. We as a church are directly involved with several pro-life clinics offering support in a variety of ways and have been in contact with many of them over the past week.

A couple of brief things we should take away:

Your prayers matter more than any vote (and your votes do have very real consequences).

Never stop praying, in this case 49 years

some never saw this day due to their own death over the years

If you ever have stood on a sidewalk on behalf of life, served to stuff envelopes for pregnancy centers, prayed for roe to be overturned, participated in walks for life, etc. - last Friday represented an earthly pay-day for you and we rejoice with you.

Consider the woman in our midst experiencing grief or silent shame

• There are women here who have had abortions—members in our own fellowship, or those whose families don’t know the silent grief they’re walking through even as abortion is in the news constantly while they’ve never disclosed their own stories fully.
• We can gently respond with compassion and kindness.

Our church must be a place of hope and healing for the weary women of our world. 

• Weary of proving their worth, 
• Perhaps ashamed of past sin, 
• and wondering if there is truly a safe space for them to thrive in the world. 

Jesus created space, and we must create space as well.

Who can forget His affection for Mary, making room for her to sit at his feet and learn as a disciple? 

Who can forget His compassion for the woman caught in adultery, whom He did not condemn but instead set free to never sin again? 

Who can forget His defense of Mary when she broke the perfume bottle and gave everything she had? 

Women were the first to witness the resurrection and preach the good news to the apostles, and it was a woman who stayed at the cross, faithful while the male disciples fled.

We must not forget, and as a church family, we must demonstrate respect and honor for women today. Some of them may have questions or concerns about the rhetoric they hear from one side or another.

We must also be prepared to give an account, not only for our hope but for ethical and moral clarity rooted in God’s Word.

This week, in response to Roe and even thinking back to the pastoral prayer last week related to Pride month:

• I’m not personally a fan of language that I hear related to battleground issues or culture war - militant in it’s language without acknowledgment that there are people's lives affected by the things we may be discussing.
• I do believe that there is a new season of opportunity to engage our culture through love, care, and support with what I pray will be biblical clarity. 
• Let’s pray for God’s help through both wisdom and courage.

We do want you to be equipped as a church; recently I became aware of a resource written by John Stemberger titled ‘Thinking Clearly After Roe’ - for those who may be wondering about some of the far-reaching implications of this decision. 

I personally found this booklet helpful in terms of categories like the need for support of pro-life clinics, elections, cherishing all life, and educating each other as well as our children.

These will be available in the lobby. 

More than that, as Pastors, we’re available to talk through any of these issues with you and talk through any questions that you may have.

Photo By Joe Ravi, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

(1) Adapted from Christian Ethics by Wayne Grudem