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| Holding Precious Hands |
These stories weren’t on the front page the Dallas
Morning News today. They appeared on the WORLD magazine site – and they
are as troubling as reports of racism, cruelty and other upheavals:
·
Conceived by donated sperm or egg, some adult
children are calling for regulation of third-party reproduction. Regulating
the Marketplace of Children
·
The Nonhuman Rights Project is “ . . . asking
the courts to recognize, for the first time, that these cognitively
sophisticated, autonomous beings are legal persons who have the basic right to not be held in captivity.”
·
Should Christians stop criticizing murderers
because we’re sinners too?
If we must be free of sin in order to call out sin, we should all cease talking
and writing about it right now. A
Pastor's Wife Justifies Her Job at an Abortion Center
I don’t have a clue how to comment on the complex news that
greets us each morning, much less how to come along side any of the people who
are hurting, confused or just caught up in the craziness these snapshots of
today’s world represent. What’s more troubling is that for our grandchildren,
these may well be normal in their world, the way abortion and homosexuality are
rights in our children’s world. How
do I even talk about topics like these without sounding like Chicken Little?
Tim Keller, retired pastor from Redeemer Church NYC offers
one suggestion, “Pray and pray a lot. Especially when you don't feel like
praying at all.”
That’s harder than talking.
So, I opened my Bible, and finished up the book of Numbers,
chapters 33-36: God’s warnings and promises to His people. A Bible teacher
summed them up: “Don’t affirm evil by excusing it as social issues.”
Aye – there’s the rub – I don’t see how in the world I can
do that! I like a lot the world has to offer – I don’t want to live as a
hermit. But if the above articles are among the stories describing the people
to whom we are called to go, I’m tempted to stay! (And urge the grandkids not
to get involved!)
God help me – and make a path upon which I can walk – being
useful to the folks I love, and those whom you put in my path -- doing no harm,
because these times sure seem crazy and overwhelming.
Almighty God, we confess how hard
it is to be your people. You have called us to be the church, to continue the
mission of Jesus Christ to our lonely and confused world. Yet we acknowledge we
are more apathetic than active, isolated than involved, callous than
compassionate, obstinate than obedient, legalistic than loving.
Gracious Lord, have mercy upon us
and forgive our sins. Remove the obstacles preventing us from being Your
representatives to a broken world. Awaken our hearts to the promised gift of
your indwelling Sprit.
This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. (Prayer of Confession from 03/08/15, Park Cities Presbyterian
Church)
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