Forty years ago, on January 22nd, 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated the third Sunday of the month as a day calling our nation to “prayer and action…to uphold the sanctity of human life.” Along with our Diocese, we use this weekend as a time of remembering, praying, teaching, marching, lamenting, and reawakening to the value of each individual person, a value that begins within the womb and continues until the final breath…and beyond, since our life with God continues into eternity!
Our Bishop, the Right Rev. Chris Warner, writes:
In what is surely a profound and glorious mystery, Scripture…reveals that we were chosen by God even before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4) - long before our conception. Think about that - you and I have been known by God and chosen in Christ from eternity. As Article 17 of the 39 Articles indicates, to contemplate this “is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons.” Each one of us is the focus of God’s powerful grace and love.
I encourage you to read the rest of his words here, along with his invitation to participate in a service of Prayer & Worship, the March for Life, and the Life Summit this weekend.
Cathleen Giannini, our Ambassador to Life First Pregnancy Centers, also shares below words from Becky Sheetz, their CEO. Please take time to read her brief report.
Like Jesus, our commitment to the “sanctity of life” must be all-embracing. This means that we not only embrace and proclaim the value of the unborn and the aged, but we also extend our embrace to include the sick and the disabled, those in foster care and those in prison, those without homes and those without community, and those suffering injustice.
It also means that we extend compassionate words and hands to those who grapple with hard decisions in this area – parents with unplanned pregnancies, caregivers of suffering loved ones, families and friends of those struggling with mental health – as well as those who grieve decisions they’ve made in the past.
“Each one of us is the focus of God’s powerful grace and love,” writes Bishop Chris. That’s why Jesus gave his life for every person, including you.
Your Pastor in Christ,
