Life After Birth

​Before I get started, I need to declare that I am pro-life. I also need to declare that, in my opinion, the Supreme Court made a destructive decision Friday. If you find tension in that, I completely understand. But please know up front, I don’t feel any. So I won’t be trying to reconcile that.

I am here, really, for one reason. And maybe just for one audience. I’m here for people who know and love God but feel like maybe today God loves them less because they didn’t find a reason to celebrate yesterday’s decision. I am here to encourage people who may be tempted to feel deserted by God for an opinion, when I believe that is not the case.

In the aftermath of yesterday’s decision, I saw this scripture frequently shared by folks who know and love God the way I do. The scripture is Proverbs 21:15 – and it says, “When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.”

I did not find joy in yesterday’s decision. I did find terror. Whether anyone reading this finds me to be evil or not because of that is of no concern to me. Mainly because in my heart – and in my soul – I felt a shared terror with the God who inspired those words.

A God that I personally don’t believe equates birth with life. A God who sees no reason for a victory dance in mandating birth while so many people continue to lack an opportunity to live. A God who did not race back to his mansion in heaven to celebrate a decision while hundreds of millions are still fighting for their right to life on earth.

Fighting for life every day in a system that is every bit as reversible as a 50-year-old Supreme Court ruling. The only thing missing is an authentic pro-life movement. Because the fight to guarantee every child access to birth does very little to guarantee every human access to life.

During his ministry, Jesus went town to town, into the lives of people who had been granted the opportunity of birth but were being denied an opportunity to live. He did it with love and not laws. He did it with personal sacrifice and not a ballot. He did it hanging on a cross and not hanging on a decision.

Yesterday’s decision required little personal sacrifice from supporters in the name of life, while mandating sacrifices of others in the name of birth. A decision that attempts to mandate breath while taking no measures at all to support living.

None.

I listened to a sermon last week. The sermon was about loving our neighbor. More specifically – it was about defining who our neighbors are. Who is the neighbor in the law Jesus called the one true law - the law that calls us to always - without exception - love our neighbor?

The pastor defined neighbor as any human who needs our help.

Jesus modeled that definition. He went town to town hanging out with people who were breathing but were struggling like hell to find a way to live. He lived his entire life seeking out humans who needed his help.

I won’t pretend to know what Jesus thought about yesterday’s decision that many are celebrating as a victory for our unborn neighbors. But Jesus lived a life devoted to showing us how he feels about our living neighbors. He lived a life showing us that his pro-life movement considered all neighbors – every human being that needs our help.

I guess I just want you to know – if you’re pro-life – and you didn’t celebrate yesterday’s decision, I don’t think you’re an evildoer.

And in my heart, I just don’t think Jesus does either. I think Jesus wants you to know there is so much work to be done when it comes to offering life to those who are struggling to find it. Work he didn't vote for; work he died for.

I think he wants us to know we have a lot of work to do when it comes to loving our neighbors without exception. Work that makes it way to soon to be celebrating.