We all sin every day, but there are some sins that God names as those He hates. One is “hands that shed innocent blood.” With the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade concerning abortion, we have reason to hope that laws can be passed to, at least, limit it. But laws don’t change hearts. There is only one real source of hope. We need to be sure we put our trust there.
Also … do you have someone in your life who is difficult? Maybe it’s your boss, your co-worker, your mother-in-law, or a child you dearly love. Whoever it is (and most of us have someone), how do you think about that relationship and how well do you deal with it?
Defended as a right by some and mourned as the taking of innocent life by others.
But behind all the headlines are real people.
Real fear.
Real pressure.
Real choices.
And sometimes very real regret.
Perhaps you have had an abortion.
Maybe someone you love has.
Or perhaps you are facing an unexpected pregnancy and wondering what to do next.
What does God say about the life growing inside the womb?
What if you are afraid?
What if you feel trapped?
What if you have already made a choice you now deeply regret?
And perhaps the hardest question of all:
Is there a sin so serious that God will never forgive it?
Today’s New Testament reading looks ahead to the rise of the lawless one and the increasing rejection of truth that will characterize the last days.
But Scripture does not call us merely to watch what is happening around us.
It calls us to remain faithful.
To love the truth.
To stand for what God says is right.
To help those who are vulnerable.
And to speak about sin in a way that never loses sight of the gospel.
Because abortion is not merely a political issue.
It is a moral issue.
A life-and-death issue.
And for many people, a painfully personal one.
So today we’ll talk about what Scripture says, how Christians can respond, what someone contemplating abortion should do, and whether forgiveness and peace are possible for the person who has already been there.
