Sunday, January 18th, 2026

Meditation

What do we believe about life as Christians? What do we believe about the value of life as Christians? Where do we act in matters of life, and where do we stand back? These are the questions we ponder this Sunday as we look at the sanctity of life. As we wrestle with these questions, it is often easy to get sidetracked into the “what ifs” of various scenarios where life is at stake and also where life is not seen as equally valuable by all people. But in order to even have these conversations, we have to see a larger framework that informs and shapes all of these discussions. It is a basic yet all-important understanding of where life comes from, where authority comes from, and what all of this means for us.

And we dare not shy away from these conversations and create a vacuum for faithful Christians to navigate. Because into this vacuum left by the silence of the church flood all sorts of voices, not all of which are guided by the Word of God and the hope of Jesus. So into this silence that is often deafening, the church courageously speaks, not with opinions or individual preferences, but instead with what the Word of God says to us.

And thankfully, as we dive into the Word of God what we find is a God who creates life, who loves life, and uses His people throughout history right to this very day to care for and preserve life. And from the individual Christian to the congregation, we learn how communities of faith lift up, celebrate, and care for life as the hands and feet of God.

When you get down to it, “Sanctity of Life Sunday” is about celebrating a God who creates life, sustains life, and gives us new life and life eternal through Jesus.

Prayer

Almighty God, we give you thanks for the gift of life. We thank you that you create life and sustain life and give us new life through Jesus. Move us as individuals and as a congregation to lift up and contend for life from the earliest days to the last day, looking always to the eternity we have in Jesus. Amen.