January 20, 2018
Friendship Square,
Moscow, Idaho
Text: Matt. 2:16-18 (ESV): Then Herod, when he saw
that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and
killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two
years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise
men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was
heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she
refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
The
great sacrament of idolatry is the bloody sacrifice of children. It was not enough for Herod to be King. He wanted to be god. His idol was power. He would keep it at any cost. And if there was any possibility that the old
prophecies were right, that they had been fulfilled, that a newborn King, the
Messiah of God, had arrived on the scene in Bethlehem, well… the slaughter of a
few babies was a small price to pay.
Joseph, as we know, was warned in a dream to flee with Jesus and Mary to
Egypt. That’s the thing about God. You can never actually win the battle to
displace Him. But you can do a lot of
damage to your neighbor, to society, to yourself. And so the streets of Bethlehem ran red that
night. And Rachel weeps.
It
had happened before. Pharaoh slaughtered
the baby boys of Israel in a bid to prevent the emancipation of his slaves. Moses escaped, as he was wont to do, by means
of water: a basket in the Nile, a highway through the Red Sea. But even established in the Promised Land
hundreds of years later, Israel was not immune to the temptation. Pagan gods like Molech demanded their little
ones pass through the fire.
What
is common in every one of these examples is the hell-bent, demonic determination
to annihilate our children. For the
serpent knows the Seed of the woman, a Child, will crush his head. So he hates children. That is his tell. That is how we can always recognize the print
our enemy’s claw. He always targets the
little ones. He always deceives men into
sacrificing their own on the altar of the self.
And
what of us? Here you are marching,
peacefully and in love, demonstrating on behalf of the defenseless and precious
unborn who cannot speak for themselves, praying God to spare them, admonishing
and pleading with society and our community in hope of changing hearts and
saving lives. For the same demonic
deception has descended upon our people, here and now. And it will cost you, my friends, your
walking with us this afternoon and standing here today. They will call you haters, though you are
here on a mission of love. They will say
you are at war with women, though you are here to save the lives of women yet
to be born, and out of compassion for women who believe they have no other
choice but to terminate their children.
They will say you are against women’s rights, though you are here in
defense of the first right named in the Declaration of Independence: The right
to Life. And it happens, and you know
this, that those you love will be angry with you for speaking the truth about
this issue. Abortion is not a topic one
brings up in polite company.
But
we must not and cannot be silent. Make
no mistake, this is THE issue of our time.
Among all the great and terrible challenges that confront our nation and
plague our world, this is the one that must claim all of our energy and
effort. This is the crisis that eclipses
all the rest. Rachel weeps in the
silence of over 60 million dead children in the United States alone since 1973,
billions worldwide. A nuclear holocaust
will not claim more lives than the genocide that is abortion.
And
now a word particularly for the Church, though I believe it is applicable to
every person here today. Christians, you
can’t be silent on this. We don’t have
the luxury. This is not simply a
political issue, this is moral issue, and if the Church is not the moral
conscience of the nation, who will be?
Many don’t want the Church to influence politics, but the truth is,
their politics are influencing their view of the Church and her preaching. Churches have waffled on this. None of us have done enough. Many Churches are weak on life issues, and
some have sold out completely. God have
mercy on us all. We must talk about
life. We must teach about it with
boldness and clarity. And the other
thing we must do as a Church is help women and men and babies in difficult
circumstances due to unplanned pregnancies.
We must help them with our time and our money and all our resources, and
especially with our love and compassion and prayers. This is not an option for Christians. Let’s get to work.
To my
fellow preachers, you must preach on this.
You must teach the sanctity of human life in your Bible studies. If people get mad and say mean things to you,
or leave your Church… if there are personal or financial ramifications, that’s
just the cost of being faithful. Don’t
let that stop you. Rejoice! “Rejoice
and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the
prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:12).
When the Apostles were beaten for their faithfulness to Christ, “they left the presence of the council,
rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name”
(Acts 5:41). If Christ calls you to
suffer, suffer. Man up and do what God
has commanded you to do.
To
the world watching us today, let me simply say, we come to you in peace and
love. Say what you want about us, we
bear no hatred for anyone. Our message
is very simple: It’s wrong to murder babies, whether they’re inside the womb or
outside of it. We appeal to your
conscience and to your heart. Join us in
the cause of life.
Finally,
a word to any and every one of you who have suffered as a result of an
abortion. Perhaps you had an abortion
yourself, encouraged an abortion, or paid for one. Maybe you knew what you were doing, or maybe
you didn’t. Maybe you didn’t think you
had any other choice. The so-called “pro-choice” crowd is very good at
convincing women in crisis that there are no other options. Let me say to every one of you: You are loved
and you are valued by every pro-life person here. No one is here to condemn you. We are all here to love you. And speaking on behalf of the holy Christian
Church here in Moscow and throughout the world, there is a place for you with
us, a home, where there is hope, forgiveness, peace, and joy… yes, for
you.
For God’s
Son also suffered death, and for this very reason, that you be forgiven all
your sins, every last one of them, and that you and your child have life, real and abundant and eternal. Jesus Christ died on the cross for you and
for your baby, and Jesus Christ is risen from the dead for you and for your
baby and for all, to give life to all who believe in Him. Let Satan not deceive you. His head has been crushed. In the end, life wins, for Jesus, who is the
Life, has already won.
Thank
you all for being here today. God bless
you in your efforts. Stay strong and do
not lose heart. The One who is our Life
is greater than the demonic hordes of death.
He will finally wipe away Rachel’s tears and our own. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son
(+), and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Rev. Jonathon T. Krenz
Augustana Lutheran Church
Messiah Lutheran + Moscow Mission
Awesome message. Thank you for standing for truth and life. +
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