The following statement was made before the sermon during worship at Christ Church Bellingham on July 10th, 2022. The version printed here has been lightly edited to make it more readable.

Before we turn to God’s word, one of the big events that happened while I was gone [on vacation] was the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and I want to take a moment to say a few words about it. Shannon and I were having breakfast by a pool when our daughter Lucy called us to tell us the news. I think this is likely the most significant political event in my lifetime, certainly the most important court ruling. 

I know that some of you may be pro-choice, and I just want you to know that even though our church is certainly pro-life, we are glad you are here. We want this to be a topic that can be talked about thoughtfully and lovingly. We know that it affects many lives deeply; you are welcome in our church.

But part of the reason I want to address it is because the pro-life movement has largely been led by Christians, and this event is an enormous answer to many people’s prayers. We have numerous people in our church who, by God’s grace, have given much of their lives to this effort—people advocating to support pregnant women, physicians working with the pregnancy center, activists informing people about the realities of abortion. It has also been one of the more ecumenical movements in the history of the American church, with both Protestants and Catholics working together on it.

I’ll tell you the reason why this issue is so basic for all different kinds of Christians. There is a book by Rodney Stark called The Rise of Christianity (Rodney Stark was an historian at the University of Washington for 40 years). In it, he describes how the church went from being a very small marginal sect of Jesus followers to the dominant faith in the Roman Empire in about three centuries.

Two of the biggest reasons for this growth were the church’s care for women and the church’s refusal to abort or expose children (both common practices in the ancient world). Ever since the earliest Christians, the church has had a clear position that the child in the womb, from conception, is an image bearer of God with rights that must be protected. This is not a fringe belief; this is a core belief.

And as we think about this moment in our culture, there are two basic Christian doctrines that I want to point out to guide us as a church:

The first basic Christian doctrine is that we believe in the forgiveness of sins.

And I want to start there, because you might be here this morning as someone who has had an abortion. Our country has had a million abortions a year for decades. Our culture is filled with men and women who have lost their children to abortion. The church is a place of grace. We are sinners who have come to Jesus because his blood shed on the cross can offer us forgiveness. We want you to know that though we are pro-life you will find the offer of grace here in this church. It is a grace that you will find nowhere else in the world.

I mention that first because I think the possibility of grace allows us to be honest about what has happened in our country. Because alongside the doctrine of the forgiveness of sins is the commandment “You shall not murder” (Ex. 20:13). Grace allows us to face honestly the unjust murder of 63 million innocent children over the last generation. 

We do not live in a righteous nation. Only by the grace of Jesus can we face that truth and turn toward him.

And the fight against abortion has now only intensified, especially in a place like Washington state. Those in our church involved in this work need our prayers, encouragement, and support, as do those who are grieving and suffering the effects of past abortions. And even in this fight against evil, we need to continue on as a church of love and welcome and hospitality and grace. 

And I’ll tell you during this time, we need to thank God that he is at work. There is hope for change. Let that encourage us. The deacons in our church are planning an event in October where we will get to hear from people in our church involved in the pro-life movement and learn about ways to get in involved. 

But I will tell you, this section of Revelation (ch. 7:9-17) that we are studying could not be more perfect for what the church is facing in our culture right now. It is a text that is both meant to give us courage, but also tremendous hope. Both of which we need. So let’s turn now to God’s word together.