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Day 5 - February 26

Intention:

May God's justice sober our society, and may mercy triumph over judgment.

Scripture:

Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.

- Genesis 9:5-6

Reflection:

The value of every human being can hardly be seen more clearly than with this verse. God, the King of the universe, has created all human beings in his image, and declares forthrightly that shedding the blood of any individual will require the blood of the one who shed it. God's concern for human beings is not limited to any particular group. Indeed, his concern is universal, and includes male and female, young and old, born and unborn, disabled and able-bodied, the citizens of every nation on earth.

Abortion, the deliberate killing of the unborn, is the shedding of innocent blood. Surely the blood of millions upon millions of innocent children cries out to God. It is true that we live in an age of grace, and yet this passage (among many other texts which express similar sentiments) should give every thinking Christian pause.

Christians of all people, entrusted with the Word of God as we are, must take a stand. We must speak out. We must do all that we can to protect the innocent, to pursue justice, and to encourage the repentance of all those who bear responsibility for this great evil. Only in this manner can we hope to forestall the judgment that must otherwise surely come.

This passage should also be seen as an encouragement to educate and disciple our children and grandchildren about what it means to be human, and the responsibility that will become theirs in this ongoing struggle.

Prayer:

O Father, forgive us for our lack of courage and our want of compassion for the unborn and for those lost and hurt by abortion. Fill us anew with your Spirit. Renew our minds, strengthen us in righteousness, help us be people of salt and light within our nation. May every human being, from conception to natural death, be treated with the respect due those made in your image. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Rev. John Brown
Director, United Friends for Life (United Church of Christ)

It’s the Lord’s day, and fitting that we focus on prayer.

I also have a great TV clip from Hanover, Pennsylvania.
I visited Hanover last fall during their first-ever
40 Days for Life campaign. Planned Parenthood is located
on the town square in Hanover, where the vigil gets
attention from everyone. Enjoy the news story!

HANOVER, PENNSYLVANIA

“Our campaign got off to a wonderful start,” said Dan
in Hanover. “Great weather — and Channel 27 out of
Harrisburg came down and interviewed Judy.”

Judy is Dan’s wife. Together, they lead the Hanover
campaign. The interview took place around lunchtime.
“We had a good showing of people there praying with
signs,” said one of the volunteers.

The Hanover vigil is taking place outside a Planned
Parenthood facility — but there’s no sign of any
Planned Parenthood spokesperson in the newscast.
For the “other side,” the reporter interviewed a
member of a local atheists’ society. He rattled on
about the imposition of a religious viewpoint.

Interestingly, in other locations, we’ve had atheists
stand in solidarity at some of the vigils! Obviously,
they weren’t there to pray, but to speak out against
abortion as a human rights violation.

For a link to the report on the Hanover campaign from
WHTM-TV, please go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2726

PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK

A group of about 20 volunteers gathered to pray at the
40 Days for Life vigil site in Plattsburgh — outside
a Planned Parenthood facility.

“It was a beautiful prayer vigil,” said Nancy in
Plattsburgh. “Very peaceful, much grace abounded. We
were blessed to have a few dedicated souls who drove
over an hour to join us.”

We must put our trust in God, she said. “He tells us
to not be afraid; He is with us. And this work that we
do is for Him. Would you please consider coming out to
pray with us? Would you ask a friend to come along?
God will use our prayer to end abortion in Plattsburgh!”

To see some photos of the Plattsburgh campaign, please
go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2726

CALGARY, ALBERTA

“It’s still cold in this Canadian prairie city at this
time of year,” writes a 40 Days for Life blogger in
Calgary. “The weather is unpredictable — and yet ...
the call is so urgent.”

The annual abortion total in southern Alberta is nearly
5,000 — and the majority take place at the abortion
facility where Calgary’s 40 Days for Life vigil is
taking place.

“We need to start caring,” the blogger said. “We need
to create opportunities for sharing truth. We need to
speak out, and gently, lovingly reach a broken world
to protect life.”

The 40-day vigil serves as “an opportunity to soften
hearts (our own and others) through prayer. It allows
us to plead with God for the hearts and minds of our
nation to be changed, and it allows us to engage in
this battle in the single most powerful way that we
can. Let’s pray.”

To see some photos of children participating in the
40 Days for Life vigil in Calgary, please go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2726