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Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.; (sermon 7/13/08)
Topic Started: Jul 8 2008, 08:07 PM (169 Views)
Dewey
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HOLY CARP!!!
This one is done earlier than most, partially because I've got a lot of time demands later in the week, but mostly because it's been bouncing around in my head in rough form for almost a year now.

If you read this, please follow the link that I've put between the Scripture and the sermon. Please watch the little preview of the video, which will be presented just before the sermon, in order to understand the reference to "Elliot" later in the sermon.

O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.

Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?

I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

- Psalm 139


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Click here to watch video - "99 Balloons" (6 minutes)

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We live in truly amazing times. We put the Hubble telescope in orbit above the earth, and it sends back amazing, crystal-clear images from the deep reaches of the universe that can only instill awe, and wonder, in all of us. The same kind of awe that King David felt when he wrote the famous words, “What is humanity, that you are mindful of us?” God, why do you even bother with us at all? In the grand scheme of things, we’re just a speck on a speck on a speck.

At the same time that we’re pushing our boundaries outward, and being in awe of what we find, we’re probing further inward, too. It’s fascinating to read about new discoveries about the human body and mind. Thinking about the miracle of our own lives gives us a deep sense of awe, and wonder, and of love and gratitude to God for his goodness.

That’s what was in the mind of the writer of Psalm 139. Written long before anyone understood anything about DNA, long before anyone had ever seen a prenatal sonogram, the Psalm is just as beautiful, and it tells us truths about our own existence, that are as true and beautiful as anything written since.

This Psalm praises God for being always present and in control of our lives. It gives a beautiful picture of God’s involvement in our very formation – that we’re known, and loved, by God even before we’re born. Did you hear his words?

“You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
…I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
…All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them
came to be.”

It’s beautiful.

Of course, these statements from Scripture make us think about our society’s current views about abortion. We’ve been involved in a long debate about when human life begins – and when, if ever, it’s morally acceptable to end a pregnancy. Pro-life, Pro-choice, people have argued back and forth in an ongoing battle that’s often been ugly, and sometimes even deadly. It’s a debate that’s sharply torn our country. And don’t make any mistake; you’ll find Christians at different points of the spectrum in the debate, all of them arguing on Scriptural grounds, on the basis of love and mercy, to support their position. Some supporting for mercy for the unborn child over the mother; others arguing for mercy for the mother over the unborn child.

This isn’t some remote issue that doesn’t affect us. We don’t have to go far into any of our family trees to find someone who’s faced a problem pregnancy. It’s something we all have to really think through, and come to grips with, in terms of the teachings of our faith.

As Christians, we know that the Scriptures teach us to have great reverence for our God-given life – that we’re all created in God’s image, and that that must be respected – and that life truly begins before we’re born. We’re a truly distinct, unique person, who God knows and loves, even as we’re being formed. That’s what the Scriptures say. That’s what God says.

My own belief about this is that there are an awful lot of people in the world who were the result of an unplanned, or even unwanted, pregnancy. People who were born to parents who were ill-equipped to handle that role. People who were born into poverty or other terrible circumstances, or who were even conceived in traumatic circumstances.

And yet, so many of these people have overcome those awful beginnings, and gone on to lead good, productive lives. They’ve been blessed, as well as a blessing. The history of our world is full of their stories. And I think it’s a terrible, appalling thing to try to make a moral argument for ending a pregnancy based on the claim that the child would grow up poor, or unloved, or unwanted. God wants them. And God loves them. And for that matter, so would some loving couple waiting for a child to adopt, if the birth parents don’t want to raise the child. As Christians, we live in hope, and we know that Christ transforms lives – even the lives of the most disadvantaged – every single day. Because of that, I think it’s ridiculous to claim that it’s more merciful to just end a child’s life, than to give him an opportunity to actually live it.

I want to say that, as strong as my beliefs about this are – as strongly as I oppose abortion – I’m not really talking about pregnancies where the life of the mother is at risk. And I would never condemn any parent who decided to end a pregnancy when it’s known that the child will be profoundly disabled, or would even die shortly after birth. Times like we saw in that video. Is the decision that Elliot’s parents made the right decision in every instance? Clearly his life was a blessing, and something that God used to reach those who knew him. Honestly, I don’t know for sure. It’s something that I still struggle with. That’s a terrifying, and gut-wrenching situation. I think that if parents decide to end a pregnancy in those circumstances, in a decision based in love and mercy, I think that’s something that God understands. I think that in those situations, God knows the hearts of those involved. And I think that God’s heart is broken, and God grieves, every bit as much as the parents.

But surely, we can see that situations like that are a very small percentage of the 1.3 million abortions performed in this country every year. Most of them are procedures performed for convenience. Birth control after-the-fact. Parents who think they aren’t ready for parenthood, as if anyone really ever is. Parents who don’t want their lifestyle to be upset. I’m sorry, but the thought of that just breaks my heart. I believe that God has given us clear guidance that those just aren’t sufficient grounds to end a human life. Who’s in that long parade of children never-to-be-born? The person who would have discovered a cure for cancer, or leukemia, or AIDS? The researcher who solves the problem of energy independence? The next Albert Einstein, or Steven Hawking? The EMT who would have saved your life in an ambulance late some night?

She was sixteen, and he was seventeen, and they had a problem. She was pregnant, and they had to make a choice. Abortion wasn’t legal back then, but on the other hand, it wasn’t all that hard to get one, either. But they didn’t do that. They dropped out of high school, and got married. He supported the family by working two, and sometimes even three, jobs. Driving a truck. Working as a laborer on a farm. Washing cars at an auto dealership. She supported them by maintaining their home, a little apartment in a low-income housing project, and caring for their child. And they loved each other. But it was hard.

And the years went by, and along came another child, and another. He studied at night through correspondence courses, and got a steady job. They moved out of the projects, and into a humble little house. But money was still very tight. He worked 12 hour days, six days a week of hard manual labor. She kept a tight watch over the money, carefully dividing it up each month, putting cash into little envelopes marked “Rent,” “Groceries,” “Electricity.” And they scrimped and they saved. And the children grew, and they cared for, and loved, and supported the kids. And they loved each other. But it was hard.

More time went by, and they built a home for themselves. And the children continued to grow, and they continued to love and support them. He had a better job now, but he still worked long hours, while she stayed at home, having the lion’s share of raising the kids and keeping the household going. The two of them started to grow apart, and some cracks started to show up in the marriage. They fought, sometimes loud and ferociously. They still loved each other. But it was hard.

Eventually the children grew up and went off to live their own lives. And in time, there were more and more fights, and less and less love. They’d both made mistakes in the marriage over the years – there was enough blame to go around – and finally, they split up. And it was hard.

Some people would look at their lives and call it a tragedy. That their lives were terribly disrupted by dropping out of school, being forced to struggle all those years, and eventually getting divorced. But what did their hard choice, all those years ago, result in? Years of a loving household. Three loving, well-adjusted, college-educated children raised with solid character and values. A warehouse worker. A doctor. A self-employed businessman. Three musicians. A standup comedian. A pilot. All good people with lives of their own. And good families of their own.

The final chapter isn’t written yet on the legacy left by those two teenagers from so long ago. But whatever the final outcome, one thing is certain. None of it would have happened, if they hadn’t made the hard choice of having and raising their child. That’s easy to see in hindsight. But it was a lot less certain back then, and a lot more scary. Because, you see, she was sixteen, and he was seventeen, and they had a problem. She was pregnant, and they had to make a choice. They chose life. And 48 years ago this week, they had a son.

Thanks Mom.

Thanks Dad.

Thanks be to God.


"By nature, i prefer brevity." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 685.

"Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you." - Anonymous

"Oh sure, every once in a while a turd floated by, but other than that it was just fine." - Joe A., 2011

I'll answer your other comments later, but my primary priority for the rest of the evening is to get drunk." - Klaus, 12/31/14
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Free Rider
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Fulla-Carp
Dewey
what a great sermon.

I am adopted. Sadly I have seen the abortion issue up close and personal due to mistakes I made in college. Not a day goes by I don't think about that...and I grieve for that unborn baby. Abortion affects people for the rest of their lives. Your sermon brought tears to my eyes.



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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
Dewey - that's a very good sermon. I admit to having very mixed feelings and rather confused opinions about abortion. The older I get, the less I like the idea, particularly after having children of my own. I find trying to debate the topic almost impossible as it's one of those areas where people tend to dig a trench and plant a heavy machine gun.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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Luke's Dad
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Emperor Pengin
Wonderful sermon, and thank you and Freedom Rider for sharing your stories. It can be very difficult to open up like that, and I for one appreciate the trust you placed in us.
The problem with having an open mind is that people keep trying to put things in it.
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Free Rider
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Fulla-Carp
Luke's Dad
Jul 9 2008, 12:21 PM
It can be very difficult to open up like that, and I for one appreciate the trust you placed in us.

It is difficult to even think back....one of my most disappointing and shameful life experiences.

Thanks LD for your kind words.

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jon-nyc
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Cheers
That's great, Dewey.
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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Kincaid
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HOLY CARP!!!
Just saw this link in that other thread. I missed it the first time around. Dewey, that was powerful and moving. Thanks for posting that. I am better for it.
Kincaid - disgusted Republican Partisan since 2006.
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