30 Days for
Life
A Prayer Devotional
National Pro-life Religious Council
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 We Are Created By God
Chapter 2 We Are Made in His Image
Chapter 3 Our Life Is Given by God
Chapter 4 God’s Care and Concern for Human Beings
Chapter 5 Life in the Womb - The Incarnation
Chapter 6 Life in the Womb - Known by God
Chapter 7 Life in the Womb - Vital and Unique
Chapter 8 Children are a Blessing from God
Chapter 9 Respect and Care for the Older Generation
Chapter 10 The Obligation to Care for Our Fellow Human
Beings
List of Contributors
Introduction
The Bible reveals that human beings, male and female, young
and old, from the first moment to the last breath, are made in “the image of
God.” This unshakable truth gives profound significance to each human life. The
National Pro-life Religious Council is convinced that it is God’s will that
human life be held in the high regard that he intends.
We are all well aware of the increasing assault on the
dignity of human life. It is important that the Church responds with its most
effective weapon – prayer. This booklet is designed to help the Christian
community do the important work of prayer in the battle for preserving the
sanctity of human life.
The Lord of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ, instructs us
to pray that God’s will be “done on earth as it is in heaven.” The hope of the
contributors to this booklet is that, by praying with intention, the conscience
of the Church will be awakened to the plight of others: the unborn child, the
mother struggling with a crisis pregnancy, the elderly who feel increasingly
devalued and the severely disabled who are at the mercy of the decisions of
others, and, having been awakened, we will be moved to act on their behalf. Toward
that end, we must pray that hearts and minds, including our own, would be
turned to embrace the beauty and truth of the fact that each human being is
“fearfully and wonderfully made.” Such renewal might seem impossible given a
pervasive and increasing disregard for human life, but remember -- our Lord
teaches that we “always ought to pray and not lose heart.” The One who is Lord
of the Church is also Lord of Heaven and Earth!
What follows is 30 days worth of Scriptures, meditations and
prayers. These have been compiled and created by members of the National
Pro-life Religious Council out of love for Christ and his Church.
May God be glorified in all that we do.
Chapter 1: We Are Created by God
DAY 1
Genesis 2:7
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the
ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a
living being.
The pro-life message is rooted in the two basic truths of
life:
1) There is a God; 2) He isn’t me
From the beginning of the Bible until the end the theme is
echoed that God alone has dominion over human life. He made it; shared it; died
to save it; will raise it up forever. The act of creation described in Genesis
2:7, and earlier in Genesis 1:26-27, is a sovereign act. God did not have to do
it and would have been happy forever without us. Yet without our asking for it
or earning it, God brought us out of nothingness and into life, and sustains
our existence at every moment. And He does so in Christ. “For by Him all things
were created…in Him all things exist” (Colossians 1:16-17).
“You are not your own,” Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 6.
God alone owns us. While He entrusts us to the care of one another, He does not
allow any human being to own another. A Southern California abortionist, James
McMahon, once explained how he justified killing children after 20 weeks
gestation by partial-birth abortion. He did not deny that this was a child, but
rather asked, “Who owns the child? It’s got to be the mother.” The struggle
over abortion is really a struggle over the dominion of God. The Christian
individual, and the Christian Church, cannot sit idly by when others declare
that God is not God.
Lord, we are yours. Thank you for breathing into us the
breath of life. Thank you for claiming us as your own. May our words and
actions in defense of human life proclaim to all the world that you alone are
Lord of life and death, Lord of our freedom and of our choices. We pray in
Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Fr. Frank Pavone
DAY 2
Psalm 139:13-16
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s
womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous
are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from
You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of
the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed and in Your book they
all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of
them.
Abortion -- the great “no”
Unlike the rest of creation, we are capable of a personal
relationship with God. Not only did God create us, but created us according to
a plan devised from all eternity. No matter how far back we go in our
imagination, there was never a time when God did not know each of us, in every
detail of our being. There was not a particular time when God decided to make
us. The decision to make us has been in the mind of God from all eternity. He
decided to make us for as long as He has been God. All our days were written in
His book. To dare to say that a human being, developing in the womb, should not
be born is as wrong as to say that a born person should not continue to grow
and live. In each case, an attack on human life is an attack on the God who
formed and made us. Jesus Christ is the great “Yes” to the promises of God;
abortion is the great “No.”
To assert that the unborn are not human is to ignore
indisputable evidence and is a classic manifestation of the oppression and
exploitation of people. When people challenge us to prove that the unborn are
human, they should be challenged, in turn, to prove that they are human! All
the scientific evidence that proves born persons are human also proves the
unborn to be human.
Lord, I pray today for every unborn child. The beauty of the
bodies and souls of these children flows from your hands and your eternal plan.
Awaken in every human conscience a profound reverence for human life, and grant
us grace to defend our smallest and most defenseless brothers and sisters,
those still being formed in the secret places of their mothers’ womb.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Chapter 2: We Are Made in His image
DAY 3
Genesis 1:26-27
Then God said, ”Let Us make man in Our image, according to
Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds
of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping
thing that creeps on the earth..” So God created man in His own image; in the
image of God He created them.
All human beings have worth
That all human beings are made in the image of God is the
basis of human dignity and of human rights. The unborn cannot speak for
themselves. Our text teaches that the Lord would have us speak and act on their
behalf for to do so is one of the important ways in which we exercise the
dominion God has given us over the earth and all the living things upon it,
including our fellow human beings, including the unborn. This responsibility is
given as a command, and calls for obedience and faithfulness. It is a truth not
merely to be accepted and believed, but to be put into practice.
From the earliest days of the Christian Church the unborn
child was considered a neighbor; made in the image of God and worthy of the
respect and compassion we owe all neighbors. Thomas Jefferson drew on this
truth in the Declaration of Independence affirming, “all men are created
equal.” More recently, in his Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II upheld this
fundamental affirmation of human dignity. Until all human beings, and the
unborn in particular, are recognized as being made in God's image, the struggle
for universal human rights will go on.
To de-legitimize abortion and to elevate the unborn into
full acceptance among the human family will be a long and arduous struggle, not
unlike the struggle against slavery and racism. As Christians, we are committed
for as long as the struggle may take. It is a matter of truth; for the dignity
of the unborn, and of every other human being regardless of race or condition,
is apparent to anyone with eyes to see.
O Lord, open the eyes of the blind to the reality and the
worth of the unborn. Give to your faithful people the courage and wisdom to
endure in this ongoing struggle to bring them fully into the acceptance of the
whole human family. We pray this in the name of Christ our Lord. Amen.
Rev. John Brown
DAY 4
Genesis 9.5-6
Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from
the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the
hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man's
blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.
God values every human life so highly that those who take a
life unjustly shall forfeit their own
The value of every human being can hardly be seen more
clearly than with this verse. God, the King of the universe, has created all
human beings in his image, and declares forthrightly that the unjustified
shedding of the blood of any individual will require the blood of the one who
shed it. God's concern for human beings is not limited to any particular
group. Indeed, his concern is universal, and includes male and female, young
and old, born and unborn, disabled and able-bodied, the citizens of every
nation on earth.
Abortion, the deliberate killing of the unborn, is the
shedding of innocent blood. Surely the blood of millions upon millions of
innocent children cries out to God. It is true that we live in an age of
grace, and yet this passage (among many other texts which express similar
sentiments) should give every thinking Christian pause.
Christians, of all people, entrusted with the Word of God as
we are, must take a stand. We must speak out. We must do all that we can to
protect the innocent, to pursue justice, and to encourage the repentance of all
those who bear responsibility for this great evil. Only in this manner can we
hope to forestall the judgment that must otherwise surely come.
This passage should also be seen as an encouragement to
educate and disciple our children and grandchildren about what it means to be
human, and the responsibility that will become theirs in this ongoing struggle.
O Father, forgive us for our lack of courage and our want of
compassion for the unborn and for those lost and hurt by abortion. Fill us anew
with your Spirit. Renew our minds. Strengthen us in righteousness. Help us be
people of salt and light within our nation. May every human being, from
conception to natural death, be treated with the respect due those made in your
image. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Rev. John Brown
Chapter 3: Our Life Is Given by God
DAY 5
John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made
through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Divine life, in relationship, creates human life
“In the beginning" was God. Always, before all times,
there was God. This particular God -- the God of the Bible, the God of St.
John’s Gospel -- is different from all other gods. This God is alive and full
of life. This God is not the picture of deadness and death, aloneness and
isolation. This God is the picture of life, relationship, and unity. For within
this God, within this one God, there are three divine persons who live, who
love, and who work -- together. This is the glorious mystery of the Trinity.
The Trinity means divine life. The Trinity means three, living Persons --
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- who relate to each other. The Trinity means
mutual love and service among three Persons.
The Word was always with God the Father. This Word was, is,
and will be the Trinity’s second person. The Word is also the Son of God or, as
revealed in time, Jesus Christ. God the Father and God the Son were never, and
are not, self-concerned and self-absorbed Persons. Rather, they live, love, and
work for each other. As one, they create "all things" together: the
Father creates all things, including all human life, through the Son.
So the Father, through the Son, creates all lives, all human
lives, all people. The little one swimming in his mother’s womb, the infant
smiling in his father’s arms, the child crying in pain in a hospital bed, the
energetic teen running another mile, the old man gasping for his last breath --
all were created, at their beginning, by the Father through the Son. No
exceptions. Divine life creates human life.
O God, may we always be quick to call you Father. And when
we call you father, help us to remember that, because of your creating love, we
are your children. Also, when we call you Father, let your Spirit remind us
that all people, from their beginning to their last day, are your children as
well. We praise you, Father, that you sent your Son to reveal to the world that
all people are His brothers and sisters, that all people are your children.
Through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Rev. Paul Stallsworth
DAY 6
Ecclesiastes 12:6-7
Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, or
the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the
wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and
the spirit will return to God who gave it.
At death, the spirit of man returns to the giver of life
God is giver of life, human life, all human lives. Short
lived or long lived, human lives are lived out in this world. Sooner or later,
all people will reach their end. The knock of death is inevitable. All will
die. The metaphors for death, even in the above passage from the Old Testament
-- the silver cord loosed, the golden bowl broken, the pitcher shattered, the
wheel broken, the dust returning to the earth -- are many. But their meaning is
clear and singular: all will die. Even so, death is not the absolute end. It is
not the end of the story. For life, at its best, does not end in a dark nothingness.
We are not forced into existentialism with its crippling angst.
For as certainly as God gave life, at death the life or
spirit that God gave returns to God. The Church, thanks to the ancient Greeks
and Hebrews, believes that the departed’s return to God is in two movements.
First, the soul of the departed goes to be with God. Then, in God’s perfect
time, the soul of the departed will be reunited with the resurrected body of
the departed for eternity.
These truths of the Christian faith cover the end story of
our earthly lives. By God, we are created. For God, we live our given days. To
God, we return at the end of our earthly days. And with God, we live through
eternity. Clearly, all along the way, this gracious, loving God is with us. No
human life is random or alone. No human life was created without purpose. Not
one human life is without destiny. All human lives, acknowledged or not, are
related to God -- from beginning, to end, throughout eternity. Therefore, in
this world, all human lives are to be respected and protected, for their lives
are signs of God’s sovereignty.
O God, we too often try to live in ways that ignore our
coming death. We forget that our days are numbered by you, that at the end of
our days your judgment awaits, that You are the Lord of our destiny. Help us to
repent daily, and then to live each day in joyful obedience. Lead us to live in
the light and promise of eternity. Prepare us to live fully and sacrificially.
Prepare us to die faithfully and hopefully, so that we might live forever with
you. Through Jesus Christ, who has gone before us, we trust and hope and love
and pray. Amen.
Rev. Paul Stallsworth
DAY 7
Job 12:9-10
Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord
has done this, in His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all
mankind
We live because God wills it so
Job was a man acquainted with grief, trials and tribulation.
He had everything taken from him, including his family. He endured sickness,
ridicule and judgment from his friends. Everyone gave him advice about his
situation, questioning his spirituality and his God. Job’s circumstances were
bad, yet he never loses faith. Why? Because of what he states, “the hand of
the Lord has made all life.” He knows God created him and he knows his life
has meaning and purpose, regardless of the circumstances.
In our present culture, we’ve lost that basic truth; every
life, mine, yours, Job’s – every life is given, made and allowed to live by
God’s sovereign authority. As people who pride ourselves on our independence,
we have a hard time acknowledging that we are all dependent upon God for our
life. From our creation, when we were knit together in our mother’s womb, to
the last breath we breathe, God’s word is clear that “in His hand is the life
of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”
It’s time for us as individuals, and as a society, to
recognize that we exist by God’s grace and turn back to Him, honoring His word
and His teachings. Why? Because our world is full of Jobs, people who are
dealing with trials and tribulations and hurting desperately. Job’s response
should be ours as well. Regardless of what we face (even an unplanned
pregnancy) God in His wisdom and mercy will redeem it. How do I know? I read
the end of the book! Job’s story has a happy ending. Job’s friends who doubted
God’s sovereignty cry out to God asking for help! God instructs Job to pray for
his friends and after he does, God restores all that Job had lost. In other
words, because Job never lost faith and knew and trusted His Creator, the Lord
blessed Job.
Thank you Father God for being the Creator of my life and
every life. Please give me, and the society in which I live, an appreciation
for your gift of life. Please help us set aside our pride and acknowledge that
we need you. Show me how I can honor you today in response to all the blessings
you bestow so freely. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Mrs. Georgette Forney
DAY 8
Psalm 104:27-30
These all wait for you, that you may give them their food in
due season, what you give them they gather in; you open your hand they are
filled with good. You hide your face, they are troubled; you take away their
breath, they die and return to their dust. You send forth your Spirit, they
are created; and you renew the face of the earth.
“I am a feather on the breath of God”
As the quote above portrays, we are upheld by the power and
purpose of God. Our very existence on earth (from our body’s first breath to
its last when we leave to return home) is our Father’s choice and happens only
by His willing it so. He who created the universe also created that which is
“me.” I do not “have” a soul – I AM a soul. My entire purpose in this life,
while I inhabit this body, is to find my way back to my Creator.
Beloved Father, remind us today that there is no truth but
you. Do not let us fall prey to the evil one’s lie that we may choose death.
Remind us right now that you who created all life are in control of all life,
and let us choose life always. Father, please let us hear your voice more today
than yesterday – keep lighting the pathway home. Father - we’re on our way.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.
Ms. Vera Faith Lord
Chapter 4: God’s Care and Concern for Human Beings
DAY 9
Psalm 8:3-9
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the
moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful
of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little
lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.
It seems that every moment of our daily life is so crowded
with responsibility that we rarely take much time to consider anything of
worth that may be going on around us.
How many times have we heard the phrase, “Stop and smell the
roses”? Yet, how many times have we ignored that cliché and instead submitted
to the all too “urgent” task at hand? Is it this tendency that keeps us, at
least in part, from acknowledging that God’s care for His sacred creation is
paramount in His own mind?
The Psalmist gives us a hint at something worth
considering. He shares his thoughts concerning God’s handiwork: the heavens,
the work of his “fingers,” and then points to God’s masterpiece – human life.
He declares to us that God is mindful of us, or to put it another way, God
keeps His masterpiece in His thoughts.
Here is the point: God, the creator of the awe-inspiring
heavens, is not distracted by the tasks before Him. He is not pulled away, as
we might be, by thoughts of something “more important.” Despite all that goes
on in the universe, we are given the wonderful news that God is paying
attention to and attending His crowning glory, His masterpiece of creation,
which cannot be duplicated or replaced, which surpasses the beauty of all other
created things – the human being.
There is no way to adequately describe how God feels about
us as human beings. There are no words to fully portray His love, compassion,
or desire to be in communion with us. Perhaps the closest we can come is to
contemplate the thoughts of a mother as she gazes for the first time at her
newborn child. God cares for life. We, as His followers, should take time to
consider the life He has created and which he has called us to love and
protect.
Lord, you are the creator of all things. Guide my thoughts
to consider your creation in all of its majesty, beauty and holiness. Guide my
heart especially to your creation of precious human life. Help me to
comprehend how essential life is in your own heart. Teach me to appreciate,
love and protect all human life through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Fr. Terry Gensemer
DAY 10
Luke 4:18-19
The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed
Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set
at liberty those who are oppressed.
Who has God intended to be the recipients of the Gospel?
This passage is a very familiar one. It has been preached
upon on many occasions, even made popular in books and songs. Though the quote
is about Jesus, all Christians take this commission seriously as a directive as
to how to reach the world with the gospel. We, like our Savior, are to bring
the good news to the poor, the broken hearted, those in captivity, those who
cannot see, and the oppressed.
The commission given to us in this passage is clearly a
charge to care for those for whom God cares the most. I wonder though, whom do
we look for to be touched by the Holy Spirit as we go out into the world? Who
are the poor, if not those unborn children who have been abandoned by their
parents before they ever leave the womb? Who are the broken hearted, if not
those unborn children whose only example of love is having their mother take
them to an abortion clinic to be destroyed, or the mother of a child who has
been deceived by everyone around her into believing that what she is doing is
best for her and her child? Who are the captives, if not those unborn children
who are bound over to death by the “choice” of abortion? Who is more blind
than an unborn child in the darkness of a womb that has become a waiting room
for their death? And who is more oppressed than those unborn children whose
oppression has been legitimized by their government, their church and even
their family and loved ones.
Lord, you empower us with your Spirit to do your will in the
earth. Send us to the poorest, the most broken, the most captive, the most
blind and the most oppressed of the world, the innocent pre-born children in
their mother’s wombs that are scheduled for destruction. Help us to bring them
healing, liberty, sight and justice through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Fr. Terry Gensemer
DAY 11
Matthew 6:25-26
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you
will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more
important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the
birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
God provides, therefore we must protect
It seems that everyone these days is on one of those
designer diets. What about a diet of heavenly food? Billions of dollars are
spent each year on diet plans in order to shed those hard to lose pounds, to
look younger, or feel better. It seems that Americans are deeply worried about
their health, their weight, and how they look. But Jesus tells us to stop worrying
so much about our bodies, trusting, rather, in God’s care for our physical
needs.
What would happen if the people who had started on a
low-carb diet this year had instead gone on a diet of heavenly food? For
non-believers that diet would include trusting in Christ for their salvation,
and for believers it would include a renewed prayer life, a new Bible study, or
even a spiritual fast during Advent or Lent. The kind of diet I am suggesting
doesn’t include giving up on certain kinds of foods. What this diet includes
is giving up on anxiety by resting in the loving arms of Christ, trusting that
He will provide. Such a spiritual diet frees us from our worries and allows us
to freely praise Him and serve others. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry
about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will
wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than
clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in
barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable
than they?”
This promised provision teaches us the inestimable worth of
our lives. We are to be persuaded that He will not allow us to go without.
This intimate knowledge and care for human life on the part of our gracious God
is what motivates us to trust him for our own lives and seek for the
preservation of all human life no matter what needs they may have.
Loving heavenly Father, help us to see the worth of all
human beings by the way in which you provide for us. We would ask that you
provide also the faith, grace and courage to enable us to protect that which is
so precious to you. Through Christ our Lord, amen.
Mr. Dennis DiMauro
DAY 12
Jonah 4:10-11
But the LORD said “You have had pity on the plant for which
you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in the night and perished
in the night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are
more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between
their right hand and their left- and much livestock? Should I not be concerned
about that great city?”
Could God love my enemy as much as He loves me?
God doesn’t value people and things like we do. Jonah loved
a shade tree more than an entire city of sinful people. We love our dogs more
than a terrorist. We love our cars more than a beggar on the side of the road.
And sometimes, we love our money more than a child growing in a desperate
teenager’s womb.
But God isn’t like us. Genesis 1 tells us that humans were
the capstone of God's creation. We were created on the sixth day after God had
completed the land, the stars, the plants and the animals. Therefore, His love
for us is greater than His love for a plant, an animal, or any other created
thing. And the book of Jonah tells us that He loves even the most sinful of
people and seeks to bring them into His merciful arms. It’s a love that seeks
to touch all of his created children: that desperate teenager, the baby growing
in her womb, even tyrants and terrorists. So it’s up to us to imitate God's
merciful love by helping and praying for those who persecute us, and those who
don’t love us back.
Gracious God, loving our enemies seems like one of most
difficult things you could ask of us. Please remind us that this is how you
love and that if you ask it of us then you will give us the grace to do it.
This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Mr. Dennis DiMauro
DAY 13
Psalm 68:5
A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in
His holy habitation.
A Father of the fatherless and . . . fathers
I had a friend many years ago who confided in me that he was
terrified of being a father. He and his wife already had two children when this
revelation came forth. “I never knew my father,” he explained, “and I have no
idea what a father is supposed to do.” We continued to share about this, as
well as pray together. He began to see he had a father’s heart for his
children. His biggest problem was not a limitation on love but not knowing how
to act out this love.
One day we talked about the verse quoted at the top of this
page. I shared that he did know his Father… not his biological father but his
Heavenly Father, who had rescued him from a life of destruction not many years
before. “How did your Heavenly Father guide you?” I asked. He talked about the
ways he had seen God’s love offered to him and the way the Lord had used
circumstances and the Scriptures to mold him and mature him. “Well, the Lord
wants to do the same thing through you for your children. Be available to His
love and available to your kids. You’ll do fine.”
How wonderful it is to know that God takes a personal
interest in each of us, many times using His faithful people – the Church – as
channels of this love. No one is fatherless who lives in the Lord. His fatherly
care begins at the moment of our conception, as it is written, “you knit me
together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:12), and continues to be poured upon
us throughout our lives.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for caring about each of us so
deeply. Help us to see and know you as our Father in heaven each and every day
of our lives. Your loving hand also rests on every child today carried in its
mother’s womb. May they be born into this world and come to know fully and
personally your endless love. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Archbishop Randolph Sly
Chapter 5: Life in the Womb - The Incarnation
DAY 14
Luke 1: 30-33
Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you
have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring
forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be
called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His
father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His
kingdom there will be no end.”
“God has assumed Humanity, joining it with Divinity, and
kindled in men’s hearts new love of me.”
These words were written by a Roman poet in the Fourth
Century. He spent his life finding ways to express the greatest mystery of the
world: the Incarnation, in which God became man. Often the womb has been
referred to as the “first home of the whole human race.” It is the place where
life begins, where our stories start. In the womb the great men and women of
history began their magnificent march through life. In the womb John the
Baptist leaped for joy, his first prophetic act in the presence of the Son of
Man. In the womb Divinity met humanity, and God the Son was born into the
world. As one of the Fathers of the early church, St. Leo the Great, declared,
“Within her spotless womb Wisdom built itself a house and the Word became flesh
. . .”
Recently, I was at the hospital for the birth of my fourth
grandchild. Looking through the nursery window at the rows of newly born
babies, I began to think of the great stories that would be written about these
tiny lives just now coming forth. During his visitation with the Virgin Mary,
the angel prophesied to Mary about the life of her child. Here in this
hospital, I pondered, what would he say about each of these? Would they meet
the One who also came from His mother’s womb to redeem the world and kindle our
hearts afresh for God? I thanked God for each baby alive and prayed for each
story yet to be written.
Heavenly Father, you have made the womb of each woman a very
special place. Help us to hold fast to the sanctity of this first home of
humanity, remembering the wonderful mystery, that God inhabited the womb of a
young woman and came forth as the savior and deliverer of the world. We ask
this in the Name of the one who came forth, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Archbishop Randolph Sly
DAY 15
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld
His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth.
We serve a living God
The Word of God came to us in human form in Jesus Christ.
Every time I contemplate this fact I get chills! And I think it is something
that we, as Christians, tend to gloss over. I can only imagine how the first
disciples felt when they were looking into the eyes of the one and only
Almighty God who created them.
The first disciples developed a close relationship with Him
as they daily walked and talked with Him. They ate with Him, prayed with Him
and rested when He rested. As they listened to the Word of God, who was and is
Jesus…they believed and “beheld His glory.”
This is something we can still do today because we serve a
living God. Remember, Jesus died on the cross, but rose from the dead in
victory! Jesus is every bit as real and alive for all of us as He was to the
first disciples. He wants us to develop a close relationship with Him in the
very same way. Jesus wants us to know Him personally. He wants us to walk
with Him and talk with Him on a daily basis.
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for your love and saving
grace in Christ Jesus. Help us to realize every day the great blessing we have
in our Savior. I pray that we will rise every morning with excitement and zeal,
looking forward to walking another day in your footsteps fully knowing that you
continue to dwell among us. Amen.
Ms. Day Gardner
DAY 16
Philippians 2:5-8
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who
being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but
made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in
the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled
himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
There is no limit to what we can accomplish when we don’t
care who gets the credit.
Jesus Christ’s life on earth exemplifies a total submission
to the will of the Father. His humility, compassion, gentleness and
thoughtfulness are reflected over and over again in the New Testament. He was
God incarnate, yet He chose to be born to a humble, working class home. How
absurd it must have seemed to the rich and powerful that the Son of God, the
Messiah, the one foretold by the prophets, the ‘King of the Jews,’ was born and
raised as a simple peasant.
During His thirty-three years on earth, He sought no riches,
claimed no secular power and gathered no possessions. Yet, His short time on
earth changed more lives, softened more hearts, and gave hope to more people,
than all the rich and powerful human ‘kings’ combined. And, at the end of His
life on earth, by dying on the cross, He opened the door to eternal life for
those who heed his words and follow in his footsteps.
O Lord, help us follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Let us
humbly and diligently work to restore legal protection for the unborn, the
disabled, the medically dependent, and all innocent children of God whose lives
are threatened. Let us remember the old adage that ‘He can never lead who has
not first learned to obey’ And, Lord, grant us a peaceful heart as we labor in
your name. Amen.
Mr. Ernest Ohlhoff
Chapter 6: Life in the Womb- Known by God
DAY 17
Psalm 139:16
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your
book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were
none of them.
As creatures, we are completely dependent upon our Creator
Society uses the word “reproduction” for the process of
having children. Eliminate the prefix and you are left with the word
“production.” This encourages us to think of children as “products” that we
can create, or dispose of, at will. This stubborn attempt to live independent
of our Creator only repeats Adam and Eve’s sin of pride; sin, which leads only
to death, destruction and separation from God.
Thankfully, God, too, is blessedly stubborn. He orchestrated
an amazing gesture to show us how precious we really are. In today’s scripture
we glimpse into our loving creator’s mind. We see that our lives are not
“products” from an assembly line, but individual designs that have been
personally created and redeemed.
His plan of redemption took a human shape the moment He
conceived Jesus as an embryo in the womb of Mary. God’s Son took on flesh and
bones – a human body. God’s love now has a face. A face that grew up as a man
and stubbornly walked directly to the cross for our sins.
As creatures, we are completely dependent upon our Creator
who gives and sustains all earthly life. This same God -- who personally
created man in Eden -- is still deliberately at work creating and restoring
life today.
Dear Father, thank you for creating me, and all creatures,
and for your divine plan to redeem your children. Please make me mindful of
your stubborn love for me as I look to the death and resurrection of Jesus for
my complete salvation. In the name of Christ, amen.
Ms. Maggie Karner
DAY 18
Jeremiah 1:4-5
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Before I
formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I
ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
To be or not to be? There is no question!
The question of “being” is something philosophers have long
pondered. What is the meaning of being and what is the source? In the passage
before us, we have our answer. We have being because we are known by God.
For God to declare that he knows and sets apart the prophet
Jeremiah even before he is conceived indicates that our being rests in God’s
own being. Because He is and because He wills, we are and do. The Apostle Paul
says as much when he declares before the philosophers of his day, “In Him we
live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
One of the tragedies of the abortion culture is that life in
the womb has been so heartbreakingly devalued. To embrace the arguments of the
“pro-choice” crowd one must conclude that the child in the womb doesn’t exist,
isn’t there, has no being. But nothing could be further from the truth. That
child is known by God and, as such, has being.
Lord God, we confess that in You we live and move and have
our being. Because You are, we are. May we find grace from You to affirm the
being of every human and may we labor to make this truth known to the world
around us. Amen.
Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh
DAY 19
Psalms 139:16
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your
book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none
of them."
Human beings -- God’s tapestries
Psalm 139 is a psalm that reveals the enormity and otherness
of God. His divine attributes are on display: omniscience (2-4), omnipresence
(7-12), loving-kindness (17-18), justice (19-20), righteousness (23-24), and
omnipotence. Yet, when it came to express this last attribute, what example did
the psalmist use – God’s creation of mountains, seas, or far-flung galaxies?
No, he used none of these. To express the wonder of God’s unparalleled creative
power the writer mentions the fashioning of the human in the womb (14-16).
The Hebrew word used to express God’s forming of us in the
womb, raqam, is the same term for needlework or embroidery. In other words, we
are a tapestry that displays God’s artistic mastery. And, like the artist who
knows his creation down to the last detail, God intimately knows us. This
reality provokes the writer to awe and wonder. He proclaims, “I am fearfully
and wonderfully made.”
What is true for this psalmist is true for every human
being. Each is fashioned by God and known by him and we can proclaim on behalf
of each, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Gracious God, help us to appreciate the wonder and beauty of
Your creation. Help us proclaim on behalf of every one of our fellow human
beings, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” May the knowledge that we are
intimately known by You shape our lives and actions. Amen.
Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh
Chapter 7: Life in the Womb - Vital and Unique
DAY 20
Luke 1: 41-44
And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary
that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy
Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among
women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice
of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
Jesus not only loves unborn children -- He was one himself!
Think about this for a moment.
We often hear people speak of a pregnant mother by saying,
“She’s expecting a child..” Now if one is expecting a package, the package is
not yet there. As reflected in our verse for today, however, this is not the
case with the mother. Her gift is already there. The pregnant woman, a mother
already, does not have a child “on the way,” but has a child, already present
and in full possession of his or her human rights, starting with the right to
life.
Jesus, open my eyes to your presence in the life of every
child. Open my heart to joy in the birth of every child, a birth that reflects
the joy of your own birth in Bethlehem. As you shared life in the womb of Mary,
so now send your protection upon every child still in the womb, and grant to
their mothers the strength and joy that comes from welcoming the gift of life.
Fr. Frank Pavone
DAY 21
Genesis 25:21-23
Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife because she was
barren; and the Lord granted his prayer and Rebekah his wife conceived. The
children struggled together within her, and she said,” If it is thus, why do I
live?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her, “Two
nations are in your womb, and two peoples, born of you, shall be divided; the
one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger.
What an answer to prayer!
Who dares to say that the unborn are not human, with
distinct personality and character right from the moment of conception? This
account emphasizes the vitality and uniqueness of the twins who, because of
Isaac’s prayer for his wife, were conceived in Rebekah’s womb.
When Rebekah was told by the Lord that the older would serve
the younger twin, God already knew that Jacob and Esau would lead turbulent and
conflicted lives. God knows each one of us and knows all about us, including
our personality and disposition long before we are actually born, indeed, from
the moment we are conceived in our mother’s womb. What a tragedy of gargantuan
proportions that babies, planned and endowed by the Creator, with distinct and
unique personalities and with, perhaps, a future and destiny intended for
greatness, have their lives snuffed out by cruel abortionists before they ever
see the light of day! May our prayers that the dreadful scourge of abortion
may vanish from our land be as fervent as Isaac’s were for Rebekah.ß
O, God, you formed us in our mother’s womb and planned a
unique and special life and purpose for each of us, and we do thank you. Grant
that we may pray and work for an end to abortion so that no unborn baby you
have made may fail to achieve your divine intention for him or her because of
intentional abortion. We pray this for the sake of your Son, our Lord Jesus
Christ. Amen.
Rev. Ben Sheldon
Chapter 8: Children are a Blessing from God
DAY 22
Genesis 1:27-28
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He
created him, male and female He created them. And God said to them, “Be
fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over
the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing
that moves upon the earth.”
God’s intention is that we multiply and fill the earth
One of the most pernicious lies that sociologists have
foisted upon the public is that the earth is becoming overpopulated. What kind
of a sadistic god would create the earth and human creatures on it, only to
have them literally reproduce themselves into oblivion? The God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our divine Creator, has commanded us to multiply
and fill the earth and far from letting the population get out of control, He
has, in fact given his human creatures a dominical role over all the lesser
creatures. The “birth control” movement, which had its beginnings with Margaret
Sanger in the early years of the last century, has led, in many parts of the
world, to a birthrate that is drastically below the normal replacement rate.
God’s Word assures us that children are a blessing, that
they are a reward of faithfully trusting and serving God and that they are the
crown of their parents’ old age. The spread of the contraception mentality
that has so permeated our culture is, undoubtedly, a factor in the ready
acceptance of abortion. God’s commandment to multiply and fill the earth has
never been withdrawn. May He help us to accept the gift of children and give
him thanks for every baby who is born into the world.
Father of mercy and grace, we thank you for the gift of our
children. Grant that every fiber of our being may rejoice when a new baby, our
own or anyone else’s, is born into the world. Help us to welcome them as we
would welcome you, for whenever a new baby is conceived, another life to bear
your image and another voice to praise and worship you, is beginning. In
Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
Rev. Ben Sheldon
DAY 23
Psalm 127:3-5
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of
the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children
of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall
not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
God’s heritage entrusted to us
I still vividly remember the day my first child was born. As
she came into the world I gazed upon the most beautiful little baby I’d ever
seen. Later, I was driving home from the hospital for a shower and a fresh
change of clothes when a song came on the radio, “The Men in My Little Girl’s
Life.”.” For those who don’t remember, this is Mike Douglas’ ballad about being
a father as he watches his daughter grow through childhood to womanhood. I wept
as I listened, knowing those years would go by very fast… and they did.
Because I am a father, whenever I read the Psalm quoted
above I’m always captivated by one word – “heritage.” It basically means
“something passed down from a preceding generation.” That little girl I watched
being born and wept for is not mine to give to God like a product of our
fertility, but rather His, which he has entrusted to us. So are all her
siblings. My wife and I share a great treasure: precious lives, which are
placed in our lineage that His life with us might be perpetuated. To the
psalmist, this was a blessing from the Lawgiver, God Himself, who blessed
Israel with another generation intended to continue their covenantal promise.
For us in Christ, it is his gift of succeeding generations for His Church and
her families.
These days I’m looking upon my grandchildren and rejoicing
that my children and their spouses will pass on the greatness of Christ’s
gospel to them and thus will continue the work of God in the world. What a
blessing. What a heritage!
Heavenly Father, please keep me from taking for granted the
gift of children, mine and those of other families. Help us to remember this
heritage that you have given us. Make us faithful stewards of these precious
lives, that each generation might be raised in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Archbishop Randolph Sly
DAY 24
Proverbs 17:6
Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory
of children is their father.
“A chip off the old block”
One day my grandson, Alex, corrected one of his friends who
had referred to me as a grandfather. “He is not,” Alex responded, “he’s papaw!”
He understands that we have a special relationship, and with that I carry a
special title. “Nana” and “Papaw” were chosen years ago and have stayed with us
ever since.
While I resist the idea of being classified an “old man,”
I’m supremely blessed to have such a crown as Alex, along with his brothers and
cousins. Wherever I go, I don’t show pictures of my ministry but my
grandchildren. Whatever impact I have made in the world, these precious little
lives eclipse it all. Why is that? Surely I have a special love for them and a
unique connection; they are bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. But is there
more?
Perhaps part of the answer to that little question lies in
the second half of the proverb: “the glory of the children is their father.”
The word “glory” can also be translated “beauty” or “jewel.” In other words, my
grandchildren wear an adornment as well – it is the imprint of their father’s
(which implies both parents) life on theirs. They are, as the cliché goes, “a
chip off the old block.” Part of my reward as a parent is seeing the way that
those we have raised pass on their values, principles, and particularly their
Christian faith, to their offspring. There is a true crown! My wife and I are
able to witness a continuity of the relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ
through which we have lived our lives and which we desired our children to
embrace. Those same principles are being imparted again to a successive
generation.
Heavenly Father, you have given us the gift of children and
grandchildren. They are truly a joy and a crown. Cause our hearts to shine with
delight as we see your hand upon the coming generations. Help us to focus our
lives and labor on sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with each child that
comes within the reach of our embrace and as they are raised for such a time as
this. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Archbishop Randolph Sly
Chapter 9: Respect and Care for the Older Generation
DAY 25
Exodus 20:12
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be
long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
Extended care will extend your days
The Fifth Commandment comes with the promise of extended
days here on earth. It is the first of the Ten with a promise attached.
What then shall we do to receive this reward? The
commandment (not a suggestion) tells us to always remember to give high regard
and respect to your mother and father.
Normally, it is when we start raising our own family that we
truly begin to appreciate our parent’s sacrificial service. The old saying
about “walking a mile in their shoes” is an understatement. It doesn’t take a
mile to recognize how their devotion to family wasn’t easy.
It’s in the latter years of our first mentor’s lives that
your respect and honor will be the greatest gift you can offer. No one feels
revered when they have been discarded and made to feel useless. Our honorable
mention and commendation for their meticulous care during the days of our youth
not only fulfills the command, but also expresses our love and gratitude to
those who most certainly deserve it.
Let us remember the Fifth Commandment so we won’t have to
“plead the fifth” when asked of our stewardship towards our parents!
Father, we thank you for the priceless contribution our
parents have made into our lives. Now, in the season when we can reciprocate
their faithfulness and love, let us not be found negligent. May we show our
thanks not in word only but with deeds that will make them to feel honored and
loved continually. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Rev. Clenard Childress
DAY 26
Acts 6:1
Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was
multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists,
because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
More folks learning, left some yearning
It is the dawning of a new day. There is much excitement in
Jerusalem. Many who dedicated themselves to the faith became disciples (the
word disciple means “learner”). The unprecedented church growth was miraculous
and undoubtedly brought much satisfaction to the new leadership. The apostles,
however, were about to experience growing pains in their master plan of
evangelism.
Projects that engage the community, especially those that
are evangelistic in nature, are high on the list of priorities for every duty
bound pastor. Church attendance is a constant concern for every pastor and
often his or her worth is measured by it. Unfortunately, just as the original
twelve pastors in Acts, they can be so focused on getting people in that they
inadvertently end up pushing some people out.
Murmuring is a deplorable deterrent to a harmonious
fellowship, yet God used it to get the disciples attention. Those that needed
daily attention due to their age and social status were being neglected. This
neglect of the Hellenist widows during the daily distribution of food was
causing undue grief and needed to be corrected by the leadership. By God’s
grace the problem was dealt with, but the lesson remains.
Today’s church should be careful to not make the same
mistake: forgetting the contributions of our seniors.
Father, in the Church’s desire to engage our communities
with the gospel let her not disengage from those who need their care and
company the most. Let us gain wisdom from those who have gone before us and
cherish their experiences and perspectives. Help us to appreciate every soul in
the body of Christ and minister properly to everybody. Amen.
Rev. Clenard Childress
Day 10: The Obligation to Care for Our Fellow Human Beings
DAY 27
Gen 4:8-10
Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass,
when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and
killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said,
“I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” And He said, “What have you done?
The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.”
“Methinks he doth protest too much . . .”
The Bible is filled with passages that speak to our
obligation to care for our fellow human beings. From the many commands in the
Books of Moses enjoining love of family, neighbors and even strangers, to
Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, the injunction to care for others is
inescapable.
In this account, the guilt-stricken Cain tries to shrug off
his obligation to his own kin by dismissing it as an unreasonable duty. A la
Shakespeare, though, “methinks he doth protest too much.” Cain’s objection
doesn’t stem from his sense of proper boundaries of responsibility, but from
his own self-centered sense of self-preservation.
Christ said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay
down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). This is the standard of divine
love. It required God to sacrifice what was most precious to Him for the
temporal and eternal well being of all humankind (see John 3:16). Though on a
much-reduced scale, he expects us to do the same.
Trying to duck our obligation to others is futile. We can’t
get away with simply dismissing others, especially the most vulnerable among
us: the pre-born, the disabled, the sick and the aged. As with Cain, God sees
and hears their suffering and will call us to account for what we do - or do
not do - for them.
Father, help us to embrace the fact that we are our
“brother’s keeper.” When, due to selfish motives, we try to cast off this
responsibility, please call to us to account. We would be pleasing to you and
to our “brother.” Through the help and grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ. Amen.
Rev. Rob Schenck
DAY 28
Job 31:13-15
"If I have despised the cause of my male or female
servant When they complained against me, What then shall I do when God rises
up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him? Did not He who made me in the
womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?”
The ground is level as we stand before God
Job lived with an awe provoking sense of God’s expectation
of him, particularly regarding his obligation to care for the weak and needy.
He knew that in God’s economy everyone stands on level ground when it comes to
our status as God’s creatures. Because of that central truth, we must take care
of each other.
Job also knew that he didn’t deserve any of the good things
God gave to him. Instead, those blessings came to Job from God’s benevolent
heart. As an extension of that knowledge, Job instinctively linked his
obligation to be generous to others to God’s kindness toward him.
As in Jesus’ parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew
18:23-35), Job knew that it is an egregious sin to deny to others what we enjoy
ourselves. He actually calls down on his own head severe condemnation and even
punishment should he fail to share with others out of his own abundance (see
verses 16-23).
Proverbs 3:27 reads, “Withhold not good from them to whom it
is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so.” Some things are so
obvious that we don’t even need to pray except to ask of God forgiveness and
the power to do what so obviously needs doing.
God, forgive us when we try to explain away the obligation
we have to help others who need help. Enable us to not devalue them because
they are in the circumstance that they are in, but to see them for what they
are, those, who like us, were formed by your hand in their mother’s womb. Amen.
Rev. Rob Schenck
DAY 29
Isaiah 1:16, 17
"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the
evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good;
Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the
widow."
God is just
Inscribed around the inside of the Jefferson Memorial in
Washington, DC, are the immortal words of Thomas Jefferson: “I tremble for my
country when I reflect that God is just.” If the deist, Jefferson, knew in the
depths of his being that God is just, how much more ought we Christians to
reflect on this profound truth? The justice of God, like his holiness and his
purity, encourages us to seek justice for all people. It is the evil deeds and
wrong, selfish attitudes of our modern society that have led to the cavalier
acceptance of abortion and euthanasia. But, as Jefferson also said, “his
justice will not sleep forever.”
God is calling us today to seek justice, to encourage the
oppressed, and to defend the orphans and widows of our society. It is a noble
calling! It is one which every true believer, every God-fearing man and woman,
should heed with no hesitation and no reluctance. To follow the God of justice
and truth is to stand unequivocally for the right to life of everyone,
especially the unborn, the physically disabled, and the terminally ill. God’s
word through the prophet Isaiah is as relevant in today’s 21st century world as
it was in Isaiah’s 8th century BC world. May God’s grace help us to defend the
unborn’s right to life as well as that of the already born!
O God, our heavenly Father, give us courage and wisdom as we
seek to eradicate the evil in our society. Help us to realize that your divine
Spirit alone can change hearts and minds so that all your human creatures may
enjoy the fullness of life you intended for them. I pray this prayer in the
name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen
Rev. Ben Sheldon
DAY 30
Matthew 25:31-46
The King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to
you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did
it to me.”
Caring for others is not optional
Jesus’ picture of the final judgment concludes with this
sobering word: the wicked, who failed to care for others in their various
needs (e.g., the hungry, the thirsty, the aliens, the naked, the sick, the
imprisoned) will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous who did
seek to meet those needs will end up with him, enjoying eternal life. We know
that this was no parable! Jesus has given us fair warning! Everything in
God’s Word points to the truth that compassionate concern and practical care
for all people, especially for the poor, the destitute, the weak and needy is
required of us, if indeed we hope to escape the punishment of the fire of hell.
And who are the poor and needy, if not helpless, unborn
babies, as well as the aged and infirm at the other end of life? Surely the
“least of these” embraces not only those at both ends of the continuum of life,
but all others in between. Just how we, as Christ’s true followers, respond to
his admonition “inasmuch as you did it to the least of these, you did it to me”
will determine whether we enjoy eternal bliss in his presence or the bleak and
dreadful reality of eternal punishment in hell. Nothing in God’ s Word could
be clearer!
Gracious and merciful Father, we gladly embrace your Word
that counsels us to care for the least of your children, and we renew our
dedication to defending the unborn and all whose right to life is compromised
by our godless society’s selfish lack of concern. Free us from our own failures
and sins so that we will be truly pro-life in every area of our lives. Through
Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.
Rev. Ben Sheldon
Thank you for persevering in prayer on behalf of life. We
know that God has been at work in your soul, as well as in the world, creating
a culture of life where unborn children are welcome, mothers in crisis are
helped, the elderly are prized and the disabled are protected.
Please continue to intercede on behalf of life and -- be
prepared to act!
Contributors
Rev. John Brown is Director of United Friends for Life, a
pro-life witness within the United Church of Christ. Rev. Brown is on the
pastoral staff of Shepherd of the Hills UCC church in Bechtelsville, PA
Pastor Clenard Howard Childress, Jr. is Senior Pastor of New
Calvary Baptist Church in Montclair, NJ, and President of the Northeast Region
of Life Education And Resource Network (LEARN). He is heard on the radio
program "The Urban Prophet" which brings the pro-life, pro-family
message into urban areas and is responsible for launching the pro-life website
www.blackgenocide.org, a website designed to reach the Afro-American community
with the truth about abortion. Pastor Childress is joyously married to Regina
Childress and has four children, Clenard, Thomas, Tonya and Tia.
Mr. Dennis Di Mauro attends Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in
Reston, VA. He is a member of the Mid-Atlantic
Lutherans for Life Board of
Directors, and is the Lutherans for Life representative on the NPRC. Dennis
and his wife, Coco, are the proud parents of 3 daughters, Zoey, Lucy and
Veronica.
Mrs. Georgette Forney is the President of
Anglicans for Life, a
life-affirming ministry in the worldwide Anglican Communion and Co-Founder of
the National
Silent No More Awareness Campaign, a national effort to raise
awareness about the physical, spiritual and emotional harm abortion does to
women. She has spoken at many conferences, conventions and rallies and on many
university and college campuses and done numerous print, radio and television
interviews for local, syndicated and national shows, papers and magazines.
She’s married and has one daughter, and lives in Sewickley, PA. Contact:
Anglicans for Life,
405 Frederick Avenue, Sewickley, PA, 15143; 412-749-0455/800-707-6635;
Georgette@AnglicansforLife.org
Day Gardner is the National Director of Black Americans for
Life, which is an outreach of the
National Right to Life Committee. A former
Miss Delaware, Ms. Gardner made history as the first Black woman to be named a
semi-finalist in the Miss America Pageant. She is an accomplished
businesswoman, broadcast personality and writer and has served on several
Maryland state boards including the Governor's Advisory Board on Homelessness.
Fr. Terry Gensemer serves as the Rector of Christ
Charismatic Episcopal Church in Fairfield, Alabama. He is married to Patti and
has 2 daughters, Shana and Merissa. His expertise is in urban ministry, racial
reconciliation and pro-life youth work. As pastor of an urban church in
Birmingham, Alabama, he was very active in citywide pro-life activities. In
2001, he became the leader of his denomination’s newly formed pro-life
organization, Charismatic Episcopal Church For Life. His ministry has been
featured in numerous magazines both in the United States and Britain along with
many other national and local radio and television stations and news
publications.
Maggie Karner is the Director of Life Ministries, a
department of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod’s World Relief and Human Care
ministries. Life Ministries is committed to proclaiming God's love and mercy to
the mission field of those imminently affected by sanctity of life decisions.
Vera Faith Lord is the Pro-Life Coordinator for the Greek
Orthodox Diocese of Pittsburgh and the Executive Director of Alpha/Omega Life
Ministry. Herself a survivor, she has spoken widely on Post-Abortion Syndrome.
Ernest Ohlhoff, a co-founder of the NPRC, left his career in
engineering to work full time in the pro-life movement. He has served as
president of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation and chairman of the board of
Pennsylvanians for Human Life. He was executive director of the National
Committee for a Human Life Amendment from 1979-88. Currently, he is the
Director of Outreach for the National Right to Life Committee, a department
that includes Religious Outreach, Black Americans for Life, American Victims of
Abortion, Hispanics for Life, Youth Outreach (National Teens for Life and
National College Students for Life), and the newly initiated outreach to Native
Americans. Contact: National Right to Life, 512 10th St. NW, Washington, DC
20004; 202.626.8811
Fr. Frank Pavone is a Catholic priest of the Diocese of
Amarillo, Texas, and a widely requested speaker. He serves in full-time
pro-life ministry as National Director of
Priests for Life, President of the NPRC, and Pastoral Director of
Rachel's Vineyard, an international ministry for
post-abortion healing.
The
Reverend Rob Schenck is a missionary to elected and
appointed officials in Washington, DC. He is the author of The Ten Words That
Will Change A Nation, and is a guest speaker in churches, conferences, and
conventions around the country. Mr. Schenck is a Presbyter (ordained minister)
in the Methodist Episcopal Church USA, Mid-Atlantic Conference, and an Ordained
Member of the Evangelical Church Alliance. Rob lives in the suburban
Washington, D.C. area with his wife, Cheryl.
Rev. Benjamin Sheldon is a retired Presbyterian minister and
former missionary to Korea. He is a graduate of Princeton Seminary and has
served congregations in Washington, DC, Pikeville, KY, and Havertown, PA. For
10 years he was the President of Presbyterians ProLife. He is married to the
former Amy TeSelle and they are the parents of 7 children and 37 grandchildren.
The Most Rev. Randolph Sly is Archbishop of the Eastern
Province for the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church
(ICCEC). In addition, he is the Supervising Archbishop for their Office of
Communications and Chairman of the Board for
CEC for Life. He and his family
reside in Northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC.
Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth is the president of the Taskforce
of United Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality, and the editor of its quarterly
newsletter
Lifewatch. In addition, he is the editor of
The Church and Abortion
(Abingdon, 1993), The Right Choice: Pro-Life Sermons (Abingdon, 1997), and
Thinking Theologically about Abortion (Bristol House, 2000). The pastor of St.
Peter's United Methodist Church, Rev. Stallsworth is married to Marsha, and
they have four children. Contact: 111 Hodges Street, Morehead City, NC 28557,
stpeters@mail.clis.com.
Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh, a graduate of New Brunswick
Theological Seminary, he has pastored Neighborhood Church of Greenwich Village
in New York City for the past 20 years and represents the Conservative
Congregational Christian Conference on the NPRC. He lives in Greenwich Village
with his wife Barbara and six children. Contact: 269 Bleecker St., New York, NY, 10014, 212-924-2030,
ncgvnyc@aol.com
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