The Wonders of Life and Love

     The former president of the Missouri Synod sent out the following story.  I found out that part of it was covered in a national magazine.  It is simply titled, “Pam’s Story”. In a recent email, I read about a woman named Pam, who knows the pain of considering abortion. More than 24 years ago, she and her husband Bob were serving as missionaries to the Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in contaminated food or drink. She went into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was pregnant.

     Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety and told her that the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby. She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities physicians predicted. Pam said the doctors didn't think of it as a life, they thought of it as a mass of fetal tissue.

     While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but refused to consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband: If you will give us a son, we'll name him Timothy and we'll make him a preacher.

     Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy August 14, 1987. Pam’s youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital visits, and serves with his father’s ministry in the Philippines . He also plays football. Pam’s son is Tim Tebow.   

     The University of Florida ’s star quarterback became the first sophomore in history to win college football’s highest award, the Heisman Trophy. His current role as quarterback of the Denver Broncos has provided an incredible platform for Christian witness. As a result, he is being called The Mile-High Messiah.

     At this time of the year we are reminded of the Supreme Court decision that allowed for abortion in our land.  Just because laws change in the land, laws do not change people.  Only God’s word and the power of the gospel create real changes in the hearts and lives of people.  As our land faces problems in this area the answer is not found in more laws, but more solid preaching of law and gospel that calls people to repentance and turns them back to the Lord.  Then and only then will their decisions in matters of life and death will be God pleasing.

     Our text today is a reminder of what God knows he has been doing in the lives of people before they take their first breath.  As we keep the words of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, may we consider, “Precious is the Child.”

     I.              The Wonders of Life

     The Lord so simple states, “I formed you in the womb.”  Life is no accident.  From the creation of the world to the conception of each child God is working in this world.  Of course in the whole matter of life issues we do not always understand the ways or the whys of the Lord’s workings.  

     The Psalmist has interesting insight to the wonders of God’s working.  We read in Psalm 139:13For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  Life itself is amazing.  In the video, “How Great is our God” by Louie Giglio we hear the wonders of creation that has taken place in each of us.  In the DNA we have, there are 3 billion characters that describe each one of us.  If the DNA is taken out of a cell it would be 6 feet long.   If we would take time to read each character of our DNA reading one character a second night and day it would take us 96 years to finish.   What is amazing is that there is not another person in all the history of mankind just like you.   While each of us were growing in our mother’s womb miracles were happening.  When our eyes are being formed there is a piece of skin over the whole eye.   But in a wondrous and miraculous way something cuts across the front of our eyes and we have eye lids.  Oh how wonderfully made each of us are.  

     Another picture that is amazing is how the Psalmist reflects on the Lord’s thoughts towards us, 17How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.  This whole story of Jeremiah is a reminder for us to reflect on our own personal lives.  God’s wisdom and love has been at work as he formed us in our mothers’ womb, giving us the gifts, talents and abilities, and placing us in this country and guiding us in our lives.  

     We do not always understand why those who want children do not get the child, nor do we understand why some whom we might conclude should not be parents, end up with a child.  Nor do we understand why and how the gifts and talents are handed out to each child.   Why are some children born with difficulties that will challenge them the rest of their lives and others aren’t.   We do have a reminder that in this world the impact of sin touched all phases of life itself, even in the womb.  Life is a gift from God. 

     II.            The Wonders of His Love

     Even though this is a sinful world, God continues to bring new life and another generation into history.  Our Lord cares about each one.   This is what is so amazing.   Think about our text for a moment.   Why was Jeremiah given life?  What was God thinking?  What was God’s plan for Jeremiah?   He was planning for him to be a prophet, a preacher. “I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”  In Jeremiah’s day he would get to proclaim the prophecies of God’s love.   One of my favorite from Jeremiah’s sermons is Lamentations 3:22–23 (NIV84) — 22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

     The greatest expression of God’s love had yet to be revealed. God wanted each life in the world to know of his special love for the world.  So in God’s planning another child, a miraculous child and birth his son would be born into this world.  See the Lord of life has no problem even with a virgin birth.  But it was more than just the child’s birth; it would be his death also.  It is one thing for our Lord to bring his own son into the world to suffer and die.   But he did not want that life and death wasted.  He wants everyone to know of the salvation he has prepared. Our lives are the only chance for us and anyone else to learn of this amazing love of God.  Life is a time of Grace.

     Our God who planned Jeremiah’s coming into the world and the work he expected him to do also had words to comfort him and care for him. Jeremiah 1:7–8 (NIV84) — 7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.  Jeremiah would have tough times, but the Lord said, “I am with you.”   The words, rescue you, might make Jeremiah wonder what kind of troubles I might get myself into.  

     In spite of all the troubles of life, do we see God’s hand in our lives and his loving thoughts and working?  Do we see his hand in the years past at how God was at work in our lives?  Do we see where he changed the direction of our lives, for he had another plan for us than we had in mind?   Where we have disappointed him or even chosen a path contrary to his will, yet do we see how he would work to bring good even in this sinful world?  If we have been disrespectful of the life we have been given, if we have wasted the time of grace, if we have grieved the life of others, this is now our time to repent and to turn our lives back to the Lord of our lives.   Only in the grace of the Lord will we find peace for the guilt that can haunt us from sins in the past. 

     Why has God brought us into this world and given us a time of grace to return to him?   What purpose does he have in our lives?   Fortunately he continues to bring into the world those who will carry on the Christian ministry, so that this world continues has opportunity to know the Love of the Lord.

     Having experience such love, we have a purpose to share that love. It is one thing to bring a child into the world and it is another thing to care for the child.   Just being prolife does not remove the responsibilities to care for the mother and child in the days that follow.   We rejoice when a child is born, but then the full responsibilities begin as all mothers know.   Here as a congregation we support Christian life ministries and those who protect the unborn.   But we also see a need to for the diaper drive, the food shelf and clothing drives to help in need.  Luther summed it up for our neighbor:  “help and be a friend in every bodily need.”

     As we have travels, many of us have gotten to see many of the wonders of the creating hand of God.  Augustine had this observation: "Men go abroad to wonder at the height of mountains, the huge waves of the sea, the long course of rivers, the vast compass of the ocean, the circular motion of the stars... But they pass by themselves and don't even notice."   May we join with the Psalmist and proclaim, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”  Amen.