The Joshua Victor Theory

For this month’s newsletter article, I want to pick up where I left off last month about the sanctity of human life. The situation of women (or even young girls) who are in crisis pregnancies or have undergone abortions deserves further attention. Giving a full defense of the sanctity of human life from conception till death does not yet fulfill our duties as Christians. We must also remember that abortion hurts the mothers of these unborn children, who are often deeply wounded by the circumstances they are in, before or after an abortion; and that it is not uncommon for them afterward to fight feelings of guilt, anxiety and depression, flashbacks of the abortion, eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, among other after-effects. Many did not anticipate the emotional or physical consequences that their choice would lead to. Many were regrettably pressured into their choice to escape shame or embarrassment, or because the father abandoned his role in the new life begun. Recognizing th...

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. The sermon text for this Second Sunday in Lent is John 4:5-42, about Jesus’ conversation with a Samaritan woman. Last week Sunday we watched Jesus’ temptation in the desert. This week we leave the parched and thirsty desert of sin, and come to Jesus Christ, the Living Water. He who became thirsty for our sake, now pours out His life for us. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. It’s no small irony that Jesus, who was thirsty for a drink of water, told the Samaritan woman, that if she knew who was talking to her, she would ask Him to give her living water. Yet God sent His divine Son into the world as a human, to experience thirst and hunger, grief, pain, and sadness, and ultimately death on a cross. He became thirsty, so that He could give us the Living Water that wells up to eternal life. The Living Water Himself thirsts, so that He might q...

January 20th was Sanctity of Life Sunday, where we remember the lives of the unborn, and our responsibility to protect them. You may know that January 2008 also marks the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision to legalize abortion. As we reflect on the issue of abortion that has so deeply divided our nation (and yes, even churches), I would like to suggest a few thoughts for consideration. First of all, if the pro-choice position is in fact true, and women should have the right to abort the unborn child in their womb—I am forced to conclude that there was a time in my life when life wasn’t worth living. Or at least in the eyes of the government, my life was not yet worth protecting. Was it only at my birth that my life somehow gained it’s intrinsic value and rights of protection under the law? Did the first nine months of my life in my mother’s womb lack the full value and worth of a unique human life? Perhaps it would be argued that I had not attained...

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Today’s sermon will focus on John 1:29 in our Gospel reading: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” I will also be referring to Isaiah 49:6, “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. In our sermon text, we hear familiar words to everyone who has sung in the liturgy, “Lamb of God” or Agnus Dei. Anytime we come across a passage of Scripture like this, that has become part of the living song of the Christian church throughout the ages, it’s worthwhile to ask: “Why did this become part of the Christian liturgy?” Or “why is this sung at this particular point of the church service?” On communion Sun...