The Chapel of Dismas The Repentant
Sinner
A place where we know that the church of Jesus is an evolving, transforming and liberating clinic
for sinners and not a museum for the self righteous
AA 5/38-40 Lk 7/47 Lk.23 42-44
January 30. 2005
January 22, 1973 is one of those days, which will live forever in infamy. In the minds of many, this particular date parallels December 7, 1941 and September 11, 2001. For on that date, the highest court of our nation resolve that we Americans have a constitutional right to slaughter our unborn children. In that notorious Roe Vs Wade decision, an entire class of citizens, our prenatal siblings, was categorically denied the primary inalienable rights guaranteed by our founding fathers. It is revealing that the initial plaintiff in the case has reversed her personal stance on this issue.
. Since that day of shame, millions of our prenatal siblings have been annihilated in this state sanction holocaust of abortion on demand. How many surgeons, researchers, clerics and reformers were included in those millions who have been denied the opportunity to serve their God and fellowmen? We have been denied an entire generations of children who would have cared for their parents in their old age. We have been deprived of an entire generation of new parents who would have procreated their own posterity. Millions of fellow citizens who could have loved us and who might have enhanced our society have been eliminated simply because in a moment of crisis, a choice was made with irreversible consequences.
. On September 11, 2001, 3500 innocent Americans were exterminated when the terrorists attacked our homeland. And we rightly mourned and reacted. On September 12, 2001 4500 innocent lives were extinguished and this terrorism was repeated again on September 13, 14 and 15. The number of helpless victims of this national legalized genocide increases by 4500 every singe day. Yes today in the land of the free and the home of the brave 4500 more children were executed. Their crime was that they were unwanted or were perceived as a burden or an inconvenience. That is 31,500 per week, 135,000 per month and 1, 642,500 murders per year. Because of that decision, rendered 32 years ago, the place destined to be the safest place in the universe, a mother’s womb, has become a site of execution for millions of the most helpless members of our society.
How can civilized, decent people sacrifice their offspring in such a way? What motivates one to destroy the life growing within them? The Allan Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of Planned Parenthood, identified the following reasons why mothers make the choice to terminate the detectable heartbeat and brain wave activity of the prenatal child. 1 % reported that they are the victim of rape or incest, 1 % had been informed of fetal abnormalities. 4% were told by a physician that the health of the mother would worsen if the pregnancy continued, 50% stated that they did not want to be a single parent or they had problems in their current relationship, 66% stated that they could not afford a child and 75% stated that a child would interfere with their lives or career. A recent poll of couples in New England revealed that if they were to know the future, 1 % would abort a child on the basis of sex, 6% on the basis of some neuropsychiatric disorder and incredibly 11% would abort a child predisposed to obesity.
Not too long ago, I received an email with this question: If you encountered a woman who was diagnosed with syphilis and pregnant with her ninth child, three of her children are deaf, two are blind and one in mentally retarded, would you recommend that she abort this ninth child? The ninth child in question was Ludwig Beethoven...
The very beautiful words of the psalmist in Psalm 139: 13-16 clearly reveals God is the creator of the unborn. Jeremiah 1:5 reveals that the Creator has a plan for the unborn. Do any of us mere mortals ever have the right to decide that a human life, regardless of the circumstances under which it was conceived or regardless of how fragile it may be is unworthy to fulfill the destiny he or she was created to fulfill? The continuation or termination of human life is purely a divine prerogative. My failure or inability to understand His purpose or intent will never negate the reality that He and He alone is the source of all human existence.
This recent national election has clearly demonstrated that American hold a wide variety of positions on a number of very emotionally laden social and political issues. However we who profess to love and follow the Liberator of mankind. may never in good conscience commit, collaborate with, or justify the extermination of unborn children, the feeble or any other member of our human family, regardless of how broken, disabled, desperate or vicious they may appear.
This proclamation of the immorality of taking a life should not be identified as a religious or denominational position any more than the proclamation of the immorality of slavery, apartheid, discrimination, rape, larceny, arson or murder can be labeled as a mere religious or denominational position. .These prohibitions are norms of the natural law of mankind and should be legislated and followed even in the most atheistic or secular of societies. Legislating the extermination of the undesirable at any stage of life is just as offensive and absurd as legislating discrimination, exploitation or oppression. Such legislation must never be obeyed in conscience and must be confronted and modified by all available means.
All human life is precious to the Lord Jesus; this certainly includes the life of the unborn, the life of the most vicious criminals and the life of the terminally ill. It also includes the life of our most feared or hated enemy. We who bear the precious name of Christian may never attempt to usurp the divine prerogative and plans of the Creator. We as disciples of the Liberator are never in a position to determine whose existence is valuable and whose life is expendable. History has clearly demonstrated that either an individual or communal mentality that permits those in power to determine which life is worth living has persistently opened Pandora’s Box and has repeatedly facilitated a culture of death. All human life is not merely precious, unique and special it is also sacred. We must cherish, respect and nourish all human life. For we disciples of Jesus this is a non negotiable issue.
A study of the history and dynamics of the previous holocausts that have scarred our century clearly demonstrates that if you are not part of the solution than you are part of the problems. A priest/inmate of Dacha once commented that he was not alarmed about the blatant disregard for human life or the prevalent abuses of human rights until the oppressors came after him All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good men and woman to remain apathetic to its manifestations. None of us can be passive while the human rights, dignity or very lives of other members of our human family are violated or ignored.
What have you have done to bring an end to the culture of death and to facilitate a deeper appreciation for all human life? Have you taken political actions that will influence those decision makers who have the ability to either enhance or terminate this culture of death? Morality can indeed be legislated. l\Look at the great civil right legislation of the sixties .Governments exist to restrain evil. Martin Luther King Jr. said “It may be true that the government can not make a man love me. But it can keep him from lynching me and I think that is pretty important.”
I wish to validate those brothers and sisters who elected to go the nation’s capital to mourn, to protest the culture of death and to seek the grace of repentance that will enable our nation to seek forgiveness for the millions of prenatal siblings scarified to the god of convenience. Their willingness to make this long journey on the most frigid day of the year is a clear indication, that despite our humble surrounding, the Liberator is definitely just as much present in this sacred faith community as he is in the most elaborate cathedral in our region. How else could brothers who a year ago were doing hard time now battle the elements simply to make sure that their families would hear the word of God. If the Liberator was not present in this sacred assembly, how else could these fearless sisters who once made that desperate choice be willing to go the national capital to pray, march and repent so that others my not have to endure the pain that their decision has generated for them. Jesus of Nazareth is very much present in our humble community of believers and every day I give thanks for that fact.
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. We live in challenging times. During this week when we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we must regrettably acknowledge that in many ways our current culture has much more resemblance to Auschwitz than to the new society promised in Micah. There is little doubt in my mind that the remains of these slaughtered pre-natal siblings disposed in the incinerators and garbage heaps of our abortion death chambers, cry out to the God of Justice. We must seek from the Lord of the Living the grace and the resolve to conduct a pro life campaign with a militant and merciful zeal.
The Judge of the living and the dead not only hears the cries of our slaughtered prenatal siblings but also the agonizing cries of the thousands of post natal siblings who die of malnutrition, treatable diseases and inhumane poverty. I believe that to worship He who is the bread of life while we remain indifferent to the plight of those siblings who have no bread constitutes the lukewarm apathy that we are told nauseates the Liberator of mankind. Therefore if we are to profess the dignity of life in the womb we must also strive to confront and modify all behaviors and mentalities that exploit or oppress our post natal siblings as well.
And I am certain that the God of Mercy also hears the death rattle of those repentant victims of capital punishment. I realize that the issue of capital punishment is far more relevant to the blessed members of this sacred congregation than it is to the members of most faith communities. We have some strong proponents of capital punishment for certain crimes. Others have verbalized their conviction that execution is often a more humane punishment than life inside. However as a minister of the gospel, I do not have the luxury to pick and choose which moral issues I wish to proclaim and which I choose to ignore or minimize. All life is sacred to God, there are no exceptions
On this day when we profess our commitment to the sacredness of human life, we must explore on the issue of war. The fact that our nation is currently engaged in war should enhance our endeavors to secure that all children of Our Loving Father will come to a greater appreciation of the dignity and sanctity of human life. God, the Source of All Life takes no delight in war. In fact the scriptures make it clear that he takes no delight in the death of a single unrepentant sinner... War however is a pervasive reality. Conflicts between nations appear to be invertible in our sinful world. Those wars between nations appear to be a reflection of the perpetual conflicts that rage within us. Research organized by the former president of the Norwegian Academy of Science and some international historians seems to confirm this scriptural reality... Since 3600 BC the world has known only 292 years of peace. During those 5,603 years there have been 14, 553 wars in which approximately 3.64 billons human lives have been lost.
As a grandparent I utilize my prerogative to carefully monitor what my impressionable grandchildren will watch on TV. I do my best to shield them from the violence and promiscuity so often portrayed in the electronic media., Now I am confronted with the question, how do I protect them form the very real and pervasive media images of the wars in the middle east. . What do we say to our young children and grandchildren when the camera zooms in on broken and bloody bodies that appear to increasing on a daily basis? How do we explain the image of, Iraqi, Palestinian or Israeli mothers weeping as they clutch the lifeless bodies of their children? I wonder what our children and grandchildren will think about this far off war when their parents. cousins, uncles or neighbors are drafted or elect to march off to this conflict. Each day more and more parents and grandparents are being forced to explain to these children that those brave loved ones who went off to war are not coming home. Is there a scriptural explanation of war, conflict and bloodshed?
There is certainly a concept of a just war. How relevant or consoling these academic criteria of a just war may be to the victims of international violence is yet to be determined. A just war is never motivated by selfish imperialistic ambitions, aggression or vengeance. .The decision to take up arms and to engage in justifiable conflicts should be motivated by defense and or liberation. A just war must always be the last resort. It must be defensive, proportionate and it must take every precaution to minimize civilian casualties or the new term of collateral damage.
In this current era of international conflicts, we as disciples of the Liberator must be mindful that there will never be peace without justice. It is my contentions that social injustice and oppression be it perceived or realistic, are the incubators which give vitality to insurrection, terrorism and revolution. History has taught us that armed insurrections against perceived or actual injustices or oppression can never be totally suppressed. In Vietnam, America never lost a single battle but we were unable to win the war. A nation like an individual who does not learn from his mistakes is destined to repeat them...
As disciples of the Liberator of mankind, we must pray for our leaders. We must be mindful that no individual or government is infallible. We must pray that they will understand God’s will for the nation and themselves.
We must pray for our troops and we must support our troops. Let us hope that America will never repeat the shameful mentality of the Vietnam era, when they confused an unpopular war with the brave young warriors who conducted their nation’s agenda.
We must pray for our enemies. We love Jesus only as much as we love the most vicious or feared terrorist. In September of 2001, my invitation from the pulpit for the congregation to pray for Osama Bin Laden generated more than a few irate phone calls. (I know that you people can hardly imagine that my style of ministry could generate some controversy.)
But we as disciple of the Nazarene are mandated to pray for our enemies. Have you prayed for the moral conversion of Sadam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden or Abu Musab al-Zarqawi? Or do you entertain the delusional fallacy that they are beyond the mercy and power of the living God? The first Christians were terrorized and oppressed by a religious fanatic by the name of Saul of Taurus. I wonder if the first Christians heeded the instruction of the Liberator and prayed for their enemy Saul until he became one of them.
I invite very member of this sacred congregation to take time today to pray for our enemies
Finally, I know that we must also refuse to live in fear. There is a lot of anxiety in our nation about the war and homeland security. The words of Proverbs 29/25 scream out to us in these trying times. “The fear of man will prove to be a snare. But whoever trust in the Lord is kept safe.”...
. We must do all in our power to confront and modify all institutions, legislations and mentalities that facilitate a disregard for human life or a promotion of the culture of death. But each and every passionate denunciation of these crimes against humanity, each demonstration against this state sanctioned insanity must be accompanied by a compassionate plea for the conversion of both the living victims and the perpetrators of these atrocities against human life.
The fact of the matter is my brothers and sisters is that we love this Jesus whom we worship today only as much as we love the most efficient abortionist , the most radical proponent of mercy killings or the most zealous pro-choice activist. We love Jesus only as much as we loved the most ferocious and heartless fanatic in the Middle East. We love the Savior only as much as we love and pray for the most unrepentant felon on death row. .We must love and pray for the mother who has had multiple abortions. We must pray for that woman who uses abortion as a means of birth control... We must pray for the Canadian abortionist who earns $17,000.000.00 from his business of murder. Who says that being a disciple of the Nazarene is easy? It is obvious to me that I can not follow through with these divine directives unless I seek on a daily basis the grace of the Savior. Our Blessed savior has taught us that there is no sin no matter how heinous it may be which is greater than his unconditional love and willingness to forgive and heal us. Like Blessed Jesus we must hate the sin but love the sinner, despise the choice but love and pray for those who have made that terrible choice.
We often speak of the 52 millions children massacre during these past 32 years of state sanction terror but each of those children had parents, who despite their role in this crime are also victims. Parents who have or who will suffers because of that dreadful choice they once made. I have treated parents who have suffered in silence for 25 years, who have lived with the shame of their sin and decision. One survey by the Elliot Institute indicates that woman who have had an abortion are nine times more likely to commit suicide than women who have not... 84% stated that they would have chosen otherwise if options have been presented.. 70 % were still hoping for options while at the clinic.
I must repeat one of the basic premises of this faith community of Dismus and that is we may judge or condemn only those who do not share our God as Creator, Liberator and Sanctifier. Therefore in light of the university paternity of our living God, neither I nor any other member of this sacred assembly may judge the motives, intent, regrets or repentance of anyone who has made that choice to terminate a life. Woe to the minister of the gospel, who has been called to be an instrument of reconciliation, who multiplies the guilt , scars and anguish of those who have made that dreadful choice with judgmental condemnations or messages of shame. In the name of our blessed Savior we must proclaim by words and actions the precious and healing message contained in the gospel, I do not condemn you go and sin no more.
If you are one of those 52 million women who have had an abortion in the past 32 years, if you are a father who encourage or did not oppose the murder of your child, today I have good news for you. Jesus loves you and he wants to heal and forgive you. Come to Jesus; receive his reconciliation and the grace that will enable you to rebuild your lives, forgive yourself and live the type of life God wants you to live.
Have you pray today for a deeper appreciation of life. We as individuals and as a community of believers must do everything in our power to stop the insanity and to facilitate a deeper appreciation of human existence from the womb to the tomb... We must pray and react as if our prenatal grandchild may be the next victim of abortion on demand, as if our children or grandchildren will be among the next troops deployed to Iraq. or that our parents or grandparents may be the next victims of mercy killing.
Unless America adopts a deeper appreciation of the sacredness of all human life she will indeed face the wrath of a just God. One evangelist has said so very clearly if God does not punish America he will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorra. We must pray that our beloved America repents.
Let us today beseech God to change the hearts and minds of our elected leaders, legislators and jurist so that they will bring an end to a disregard for the sacredness of human life... Question your health care provider if they support abortion and euthanasia changes your providers. This may not necessarily mean switching to another physician; it should involve praying for their conversion... Let us also seek from this the God of Mercy the grace that will enable us to love, support and forgive the perpetrators of these detestable crimes, Let us pray that we as individual and a community will accept the grace of repentance and mercy that Jesus offers to each of his beloved.
.To Jesus is all honors, praise and glory both today and forever.
