Good
morning. It is so good to be here with you again today.
King
Solomon, in pondering the meaning of life and searching for wisdom, said, For
everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven . .
. and then he lists what many of those times and seasons are.
And
some of the things he lists are:
a
time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a
time to break down, and a time to build up;
a
time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a
time to mourn, and a time to dance;
and many more.
But
the very first pair that he names in that long list is this: that there is a
time to be born, and a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).
Sadly,
for far too many, the time to be born never comes, and the time to die comes
too soon. And that is true not only in our day and age, but perhaps moreso
in our day and age than ever before. Whether it is by surgery or pill, by force
or for convenience, cheerfully, tearfully, or fearfully, far too many little
boys and little girls are never given a chance, a time to be born. And those
who are, who do get the chance, for how many does the time to die
come too soon? Because they are told they are not worth anything, they are told
that to die is better, or because of crime or violence, bullying or neglect?
And
as sad as that all is, there is something even sadder still: that this is
celebrated by some, and called progress.
But
for each and every one of these lives whose end comes too soon, whether young
or old, born or preborn, able or disabled, wanted or unwanted, our Father in
heaven is grieved. Jesus wept at Lazarus’ tomb. Death is not a solution, it is
the enemy. It is not to be embraced, it is to be overcome.
So
when King Solomon penned these words, that there is a time to be born,
and a time to die, he was not only searching for wisdom, he was
searching for an answer. And in searching for an answer, he prophetically
pointed us to the answer - the answer to life, the answer to death, and
the answer to sin, when we take life and death into our own hands. Because
there is not only a time for us to be born and for us to die,
there was also a divinely appointed time for God Himself to be born, and
for God Himself to die.
And
approximately 950 years after Solomon composed these words, that time came. The
time to be born . . . for Jesus. All of you, or most of you at least, know
the story: the angel Gabriel, the virgin Mary, the journey to Bethlehem, no
room in the inn, the birth, the manger, the visit of the shepherds and the wise
men. But here is how the Apostle Paul wrote of it. He said, when the
fullness of time had come - or another translation says, at just the
right time, or, we could say, at the divinely appointed time - God
sent forth His Son, born of woman . . . to redeem us (Galatians 4:4). It was His
time to be born.
God
had that time in His mind even before the creation of the world, but He then
promised that He would do that when our first parents, Adam and Eve, decided
there was a time to die. Before that, there wasn’t! There was no
death, only life. But with their sin, now there was death, and a time to
die for them and for us. But God stepped in and promised life, by a
Saviour. And at the time appointed, in the fullness of time, at just the right
time, the divinely appointed time, God the Son was born into our world.
But
God had appointed another time, too: a time for His Son to
die. And when that time, that hour had come (John 12:23), Jesus did. He laid down
His life for the life of the world. Exactly as God planned, exactly as the
prophets foretold. That though all die, all may live. That there might be for all
a time to be born - a time to be born again, born from
above, as children of God. That though we all now have a time to die,
we also have a time to rise to life again in Jesus. That because He lives, we
also shall live.
And
for this, too, there is a time. The time set by the Father for Jesus to return
in glory, and take us to life eternal. A time we all pray will be soon!
But
until that time, it is time for us to do what we have been
given to do.
A
time to Celebrate Life! as we are doing this weekend. That life is the
gift of God. Life that God creates, redeems, and sanctifies. Life that is not
an accident and not by chance, but life filled with purpose, meaning, and
value. And when we know that, we know of many more times as well . . .
That
there is a time to speak, and a time to defend.
A
time to confess, and a time to forgive.
A
time to teach, and a time to pray.
A
time to care, and a time to provide.
A
time to support, and a time to give.
A
time to rejoice, and a time to work.
A
time to use the gifts, talents, abilities, and faith that God has blessed us
with, where He has put us, and to the people He has given us. For life.
And
as we do, remembering this very important fact: that we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). We must remember who
our true enemy is. And if this work isn’t easy - and as you all well know, it’s
not! - it’s because of who our enemy is, and that he knows his time is short.
So his lies and deception will continue, and maybe even intensify, but the
truth will prevail.
Those
two reasons are why ours is not an angry protest movement, but a joy-filled,
love-reflecting, pro-life movement! We know the Victor and His victory. And so with
Him and in Him we are like Him. We are pro-baby,
pro-mother, pro-father, and pro-family. We love those at the beginning of life
and those at the end of life. And all those in-between, too. Because that’s
what Jesus did, and it’s not so much that we do because we follow
His example, or do so because He commanded us, but because He put His love and
His Spirit into our hearts.
And
in the end, that’s what it’s all about: the love of Jesus and the Spirit of
Jesus poured into our hearts. Jesus, who died to save the abortion provider,
the abortion user, and the abortion supporter. Who died to save us
when we are less-than-loving. Who came to love us and strengthen us through
unplanned pregnancies, when life is hard and confusing, when we have disabled
family members, and those who can no longer remember us.
The
Dobbs decision was great, a step in the right direction. But only a step. Since
then there have been set backs, we heard about some yesterday, states enacting
laws and amending their constitutions in ways that do not support life. My
state of Virginia has those working on this. The Supreme Court punted on the
case removing restrictions from mifepristone. And more. All of which is a
reminder to us that the right laws and more laws may help, but isn’t really the
answer. The answer is Jesus. The answer is to change hearts.
Changing
the law is hard. It took 50 years to get Dobbs! But hearts are harder still.
And so maybe you might even, at times, feel like Solomon, who would also write,
when pondering life: What gain has the worker from his toil? (Ecclesiastes
3:9) For you may not see results. You may want to throw up your hands and give
up. Your toil may be long and hard and thankless.
But
it is never in vain!
King Solomon said all is vanity, all is meaningless. But he was wrong.
Because as Isaiah reminds us, God’s Word never returns empty, but
accomplishes that for which God purposes, and succeeds in the thing for which
He sends it (Isaiah
55:11). And
that is true for His written word, His spoken Word, and especially His
Word made flesh, Jesus. He is still giving life and redeeming life, and so we
will continue to celebrate His gift of life. And fight to protect it.
So
thank you for all you do. I thank God for all of you and what He is able to
accomplish through you.
And I
will close with these words of encouragement from the Apostle Paul, at the end
of His great resurrection chapter: Therefore, my beloved brothers [and
sisters], be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Let
us pray . . .
Heavenly
Father, author and creator of life, protector and preserver of life, and lover
of life, thank You for the gift of life You give and continue to give, thank
You for sending Your Son to be the Redeemer of life, that all might have life
and have it abundantly, and thank You for the gift of Your Spirit, without whom
we would be lost.
Fill
us with faith and confidence, that there is nothing in all creation that can
separate us from Your love. And with that faith and confidence, embolden us in
the fight for each and every life. When we are afraid, give us the fearlessness
of David standing against Goliath. When we are weak, give us the strength of
Paul, who said when I am weak, then I am strong. When we despair, point us to
the empty tomb, and give us joy. When we are confused, give us Your wisdom and
the clarity of Your Word. And give us the love we need to love our enemies, and
the compassion we need to pray for those who persecute us. For Your Son died
for them, too. And wants to save them, too.
So
may Your Word of life that resounds not only today but everyday, reach all
people, and let them know they are valued and loved. May the message of life
that resounds today in this city be heard by those who need to hear that their
life has meaning, that all life is precious, and protect all life, we pray. Use
all of us and the gifts, talents, and abilities You have given us. Some in big
ways, some in small ways, but none in unimportant ways. Protect all who gather
on the Mall now, from the heat, from all harm and danger, and bless the time we
have left together here, that we learn, that we encourage and support one
another, and rejoice in all that You are doing, until the day You call us home
to be with You in Your kingdom, when all sin is overcome, and where there is
only life.
Hear our prayers, dear Father, for the sake of Your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. AMEN