Proverbs 31:8,9 * May 10, 2009 * Life Sunday * Pastor Pagels
In the name of the One who gives us life and who is the Resurrection and the Life, dear friends:
“Listen to your mother.” Most of us have heard those words before. Many of us have been on the receiving end of those words before. And generally speaking, that is pretty good advice. Moms care about their children. Moms want what is best for their children. And when they have something to say, when they have some wisdom to share, it is probably a good idea for their kids to listen.
Even though today is Mother’s Day I don’t want you to listen to your mother this morning. Instead let me encourage you to listen to someone else’s mother. Open your ears and your hearts and listen to Lemuel’s mother. The Book of Proverbs recognizes her as the human source of the divinely inspired words that will serve as our sermon text today.
We don’t know a whole lot about Lemuel or his mother. The name “Lemuel” means “dedicated to God.” He isn’t mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. We don’t know where he lived. We don’t know when he lived. All we know for sure is that Lemuel was a king, a king who received some good advice from his mom, advice that can be summarized in this simple command…
Speak Up!
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (8,9). Even though the original intent of these words was to provide good counsel for godly leaders, it’s not too difficult for us to make some broader applications to the lives of Christians today.
On the church calendar today is the fifth Sunday of Easter,
but today we are also celebrating Life Sunday at
The Bible and the world don’t see eye-to-eye on lots of issues, but the contrast isn’t any sharper than it is on life issues. In his Word God says: “You are a special creature. You are the crown of my creation, created in God’s image with a life-giving soul.” The world contends that you are an animal, a highly evolved, high-functioning animal, but at the end of the day you are still an animal.
God says: “I am the giver of life, and I reserve for myself the right to end life, all in accordance with my good and gracious will.” The world talks about “death with dignity” and about giving people “choices,” but if the world really cares so much about life then why do so many of these compassionate choices leave behind a corpse?
The Lord says: “You shall have no other gods. You are responsible to me, and one day you will answer to me.” The atheist says: “There is no god. There will be no final judgment. So don’t worry about what you should or should not do. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do. You are the master of your own fate, and the only person you have to answer to is you.”
There are loud voices, deceptive voices, millions and millions of voices, all trying to drown out the truth. Now more than ever Christians need to speak up. We need to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. We need to stand up for the truth because if we don’t, who will?
There is a famous quote attributed to the Irish statesman Edmund Burke that goes something like this: “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to say nothing.” What do you think about that statement? Does it make sense? Does it make you feel uncomfortable? Does it make you feel guilty?
You know what God’s Word says. You know what God in Proverbs is calling you to do. You can count at least four direct commands in two verses: “Speak up…speak up…judge fairly… defend…” And then you compare Burke’s quote with your life. And then your conscience forces you to ask yourself some pretty tough questions, questions like: “Am I allowing evil to triumph over good? Am I one of those so-called good people who is guilty of saying nothing?”
It’s not just you. It’s not just me. We are all guilty. We do what God forbids. We don’t do what God commands. And when it comes to life issues, when it comes to our failure to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves (like the unborn), that particular shortcoming has been given a name. It’s called abortion fatigue.
This past January marked the thirty sixth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision (commonly known as Roe v. Wade) that made abortion a fundamental right under the United States Constitution. Not everyone accepted the high court’s ruling. Politicians and pro-life groups spent millions of dollars (and perhaps as many hours) in an effort to repeal abortion laws, but three and a half decades later not much has changed. In fact, a number of recent pro-life rulings have been or are in the process of being reversed under the newly sworn in administration.
As God-fearing, life-cherishing Christians assess the changing political and moral landscape of our country many can feel “abortion fatigue” setting in. Maybe you know what I’m talking about. Maybe you have experienced it yourself. After so many years you are tired of fighting. You wonder if the battle has been lost. You wonder if it’s time to give up. You wonder if it’s time to move on.
If you have ever felt like that, or if that is how you are feeling right now, I have some good news and some bad news for you. The bad news is that the battle is over. The good news is that the battle has not been lost. Even better news is that you and I are on the winning side. And the best news is that Jesus has won the victory for us.
Jesus did all of those things Lemuel's mother wanted her son to do. He spoke up for those who could not speak up for themselves. He defended the rights of the poor and needy. He welcomed little children with open arms. He wasn't afraid to associate with the worst kind of sinners.
But what Jesus was so willing to do for other people he
didn't do for himself. He didn't defend
himself when he was arrested in the
Jesus carried all of those sins to the cross. Jesus buried those sins in the tomb. He has paid your debt in full, and he declares that you are now free. You are free from sin. You are free from guilt. You are free to go, but go where? The long term answer to that question is heaven (someday we will go to be with Jesus in heaven), but what about now? We have eternal life, but what does God want us to do with the time he gives us in this life? How can we express our gratitude and appreciation for all that God has done for us today?
There are thousands of possibilities, but this morning allow
me to make one simple suggestion. As you
leave church today you will pass a table full of baby bottles. You are encouraged to take a bottle home and
over the next few weeks fill it with dollars and coins and bring it back by
Father's Day (June 21st). All the money
that is raised will go to support the local chapter of WELS Lutherans For Life,
an organization that operates four pregnancy counseling centers in the
By dropping a few nickels and dimes into a baby bottle you might not feel like you are doing much. You might not feel like you are speaking up for anyone. It's not the same as attending a pro-life rally or campaigning for pro-life causes (which are good causes, and I encourage you to do that too), but participating in this Baby Bottle Blessing does make an impact.
To demonstrate what kind of impact, I would like to share a short story with you. It comes from Pat Johnson (some of you might know her). She is the Client Services director of our pregnancy counseling centers. Pat writes:
The day just
started, and already I wanted to cry and dance in total joy and awe over the
Holy Spirit’s work through our pregnancy resource centers.
The first
helpline call this morning was from a young woman, whom we’ll call Jewel, who
asked if she could drop off a few donations. About a half hour later Jewel
brought a number of baby items, mentioning that she had washed everything
before coming. She said she knows that someone is always in need and these are
things she no longer needs. Suspecting that Jewel was possibly one of our
clients, I asked how she happened to choose to bring these things to our
center.
Indeed, Jewel was
one of our clients and a participant in one of the Loving Moms classes. Her baby
is expected any minute (she was told it’s a girl). Jewel said that she was planning to have an
abortion when she came here, but our counselor changed her mind! That’s exactly how she said it—“he changed my mind."
Jewel spent
last summer and fall going to rummage sales and collecting baby things, and now
she is busy washing newborn clothes and getting ready for the birth of her
daughter! She works two jobs and has
made plans with the baby’s father and grandmother, who will help care for the
baby.
All of this
preparation and effort is for a child whose life was initially going to be
terminated. Now this unborn baby’s
mother is telling her acquaintances that they should come to us for their
pregnancy needs.
Isn't it amazing to see the Lord at work in the lives of his people? The Spirit led a man to be trained as a counselor at one of our centers. The Spirit brought Jewel into the center even though she was planning to abort her baby. The Spirit gave the counselor the courage and the conviction to speak up for that unborn child. The Spirit led Jewel to reconsider her decision and have the baby. And now Jewel is speaking up herself, telling her friends to come to the center for their physical and spiritual needs.
It’s an inspiring story, but none of those things would have happened if that center had not been open. Jewel’s story and others like it are possible because of the generous gifts of God's people, people like you, people who support WELS Lutherans For Life and other ministries with your prayers and your offerings, people who may never cross paths with Jewel on earth, but may have the opportunity to meet her and her daughter in heaven.
God has given you a powerful voice. God has given you his powerful Word. Don't be afraid to use it. Don't be afraid to speak up. And don't be surprised when your life and the lives of others are blessed. Amen.