Christmas - The Gift of Life
We are well into the Advent Season. It is a time of children's programs and music concerts. It is the season when Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, and Tiny Tim come to life on theater stages in every major city. It is also the season when everyone becomes a ballet enthusiast as the strains from The Nutcracker fill the stages of many an auditorium. Carolers stroll through the corridors of shopping centers rendering joyously those familiar Christmas songs we knew as children. The stories of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, although decades old, seem to have a continually new audience of listeners. And yes, the Hallmark Channels fill the airwaves with nonstop Christmas movies. As the song writer said, "It is the most wonderful time of the year!"
But let us not forget that Christmas is also about life - the life Jesus Christ came to give to us. This past week the United States Supreme Court handed the American people a wonderful gift concerning life. It was not because of what they did, but because of what they did not do that was important. The Court refused to hear the case brought by the ACLU against the State of Kentucky concerning Kentucky's abortion bill. That bill requires that pregnant mothers be shown a picture of their babies before they abort. By refusing to rule on this case specifically, the Court, in effect, agreed with the ruling of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals which had ruled that the Kentucky law did not violate the Constitution.
Tony Perkins, executive director of the Family Research Council, wrote an article on this ruling. This article titled "SCOTUS: Breaking the (Ultra) Sound Barrier," can be found at the Family Research Council's website. Let me quote just a portion of that important article: "The last thing the abortion industry wants is for moms to come face-to-face with the personhood of their child. It's why they've poured millions of dollars into fighting heartbeat bills, sonograms, even basic medical disclaimers. When it comes to abortion, technology is - and always has been - the single biggest enemy of the Left. Nothing comes between women and their business more than the truth about these tiny humans in the womb - humans that yawn, smile, such their thumbs. The imaging is so advanced these days that doctors can track something as small as a baby's hiccup. It's a game-changer. Which is exactly why groups like the ACLU and Planned Parenthood are trying to shut down laws like Kentucky's. It's hard enough to get moms to destroy their babies. But it's near impossible once they see and hear how intensely human their children are.
"In its challenge, the ACLU even argued that giving women these options was somehow a violation of doctors' free speech. But the Supreme Court didn't buy it. Just like they haven't bought other lies about 'informed consent' laws. Under Kentucky's, all doctors are required to do is describe the ultrasound while moms listen to the heartbeat. If the women choose, they can shut their eyes and cover their ears. Even still, the ACLU calls it 'unconstitutional and unethical.'
"No, what's unethical is misleading women about the personhood of their baby and the life-long consequences of aborting her. Even now, Laura says, she's met other young moms who 'couldn't see past their circumstances - a child they're not ready for, a relationship they'd rather escape.' But then they see their baby's 'heartbeat, fingers, and toes.' She says they see the impact of their ultrasound machine every day. Thanks to the Supreme Court, let's hope Kentucky can say the same thing about their informed consent law."
How we need to hear those stories of "good news." At times we almost seem to be buried in a sea of "bad stories." Police officers are killed in the line of duty. Young girls fall victim to sex traffickers. Wives and girlfriends are brutally assaulted by deranged husbands and boyfriends, often ending in another tragic case. Teens are ending their lives because of depression and anxiety over the future. Nations continue to spend billions of dollars to design and build better weaponry that can destroy more of the world's citizens. And the list goes on and on.
Friends, it was into such a world that Jesus was born. It was a world filled with violence and evil. It was a world where the Romans had created a military machine unlike any the world had seen - a machine that literally crushed the life out those who opposed it. Yes, Daniel was correct when he describe that fourth beast as having iron teeth. It was into the midst of that world that Jesus came bringing grace and truth, bringing hope and peace. Yes, Jesus came to bring life - eternal life. It is that gift which is celebrated this Season - at least it is the gift that should be celebrated.
But let us not forget that Christmas is also about life - the life Jesus Christ came to give to us. This past week the United States Supreme Court handed the American people a wonderful gift concerning life. It was not because of what they did, but because of what they did not do that was important. The Court refused to hear the case brought by the ACLU against the State of Kentucky concerning Kentucky's abortion bill. That bill requires that pregnant mothers be shown a picture of their babies before they abort. By refusing to rule on this case specifically, the Court, in effect, agreed with the ruling of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals which had ruled that the Kentucky law did not violate the Constitution.
Tony Perkins, executive director of the Family Research Council, wrote an article on this ruling. This article titled "SCOTUS: Breaking the (Ultra) Sound Barrier," can be found at the Family Research Council's website. Let me quote just a portion of that important article: "The last thing the abortion industry wants is for moms to come face-to-face with the personhood of their child. It's why they've poured millions of dollars into fighting heartbeat bills, sonograms, even basic medical disclaimers. When it comes to abortion, technology is - and always has been - the single biggest enemy of the Left. Nothing comes between women and their business more than the truth about these tiny humans in the womb - humans that yawn, smile, such their thumbs. The imaging is so advanced these days that doctors can track something as small as a baby's hiccup. It's a game-changer. Which is exactly why groups like the ACLU and Planned Parenthood are trying to shut down laws like Kentucky's. It's hard enough to get moms to destroy their babies. But it's near impossible once they see and hear how intensely human their children are.
"In its challenge, the ACLU even argued that giving women these options was somehow a violation of doctors' free speech. But the Supreme Court didn't buy it. Just like they haven't bought other lies about 'informed consent' laws. Under Kentucky's, all doctors are required to do is describe the ultrasound while moms listen to the heartbeat. If the women choose, they can shut their eyes and cover their ears. Even still, the ACLU calls it 'unconstitutional and unethical.'
"No, what's unethical is misleading women about the personhood of their baby and the life-long consequences of aborting her. Even now, Laura says, she's met other young moms who 'couldn't see past their circumstances - a child they're not ready for, a relationship they'd rather escape.' But then they see their baby's 'heartbeat, fingers, and toes.' She says they see the impact of their ultrasound machine every day. Thanks to the Supreme Court, let's hope Kentucky can say the same thing about their informed consent law."
How we need to hear those stories of "good news." At times we almost seem to be buried in a sea of "bad stories." Police officers are killed in the line of duty. Young girls fall victim to sex traffickers. Wives and girlfriends are brutally assaulted by deranged husbands and boyfriends, often ending in another tragic case. Teens are ending their lives because of depression and anxiety over the future. Nations continue to spend billions of dollars to design and build better weaponry that can destroy more of the world's citizens. And the list goes on and on.
Friends, it was into such a world that Jesus was born. It was a world filled with violence and evil. It was a world where the Romans had created a military machine unlike any the world had seen - a machine that literally crushed the life out those who opposed it. Yes, Daniel was correct when he describe that fourth beast as having iron teeth. It was into the midst of that world that Jesus came bringing grace and truth, bringing hope and peace. Yes, Jesus came to bring life - eternal life. It is that gift which is celebrated this Season - at least it is the gift that should be celebrated.
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