(Photo credit Steve9091 via Flickr)
USA (MNN) — “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday” is coming up this weekend.
Tom Lothamer, President of Life Matters Worldwide, says the way we value–or don’t value–life is more than just opinion.
“It says everything about how we treat people, how we treat other brothers and sisters in Christ, how we treat even what we would call ‘non-Christians,'” Lothamer states.
The Sanctity of Human Life
The commemoration began in 1984, when U.S. President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation designating January 22 as the first National Sanctity of Human Life Day. Since then, churches have marked the third Sunday in January as “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.”
On January 18, congregations throughout the U.S. are gathering to celebrate God’s gift of life. While many people associate “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday” with pro-life movements and protecting the rights of the unborn, there’s more to it than that.
“Every one of us [is] made in God’s image. We learn that in Genesis and throughout the Scripture, and God places a high priority on that very fact,” notes Lothamer.
“Because we’re made in His image, all life is valuable–whether we’re talking about the handicapped, the elderly, [or] the baby in the womb.”
Life Matters Worldwide is committed to helping the Body of Christ articulate the biblical pro-life message in word and deed. Each year for “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday,” Life Matters creates materials that churches can use to defend the biblical claim that all life is sacred.
Life Matters more than once-a-year
It may be too late to order resources in time for Sunday’s service, Lothamer notes, but you can talk with your church about why life matters anytime of the year.
(Photo credit Life Matters Worldwide)
“As we understand the sanctity of human life and [the truth that] we’re made in God’s image, then we have respect for each other, and we love each other,” says Lothamer.
“God has said that we need to respect life, we need to respect human beings, and pray for them.”
In case you ran out of time to plan and coordinate a service for “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday,” another option might be to discuss the sanctity of life on January 25. The Roe v. Wade anniversary falls on January 22 and could provide another reason to explore why life matters.
If you’re interested in learning more, “We can [send them] information…or they can just call us and we’ll e-mail them information,” Lothamer says.
