Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is 1/18/09

Copperhill Church is observing Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, January 18, 2009. Here is a bit more background on this event, as well as key scriptures that address the status of unborn children.

From the CareNet site:

Twenty-three years ago, the Christian Action Council Education and Ministries Fund, which is today known as Care Net, asked President Ronald Reagan to create a special day to focus on the intrinsic value of human life and the fundamental right to life, as recognized by the American Founding Fathers.

In 1983, President Reagan issued a proclamation establishing a National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday (SOHLS). Since 1983, the SOHLS proclamation has also been issued by Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.

The National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is held on the Sunday in January that falls closest to the day on which the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions were handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court on January 22, 1973.

The belief that human life is precious and worthy of protection is not merely a political position. God's word speaks clearly of the personhood and value of the unborn:

"Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me? Remember that you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again? Did you not pour me out like milk ... and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit" (Job 10:8-12 NIV).

"Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name...and now the LORD says--he who formed me in the womb to be his servant..." (Isaiah 49:1, 5).

"The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations’" (Jeremiah 1:4-5).

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that fully well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:13-16).

"Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him" (Psalm 127:3).

"When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit... As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy" (1:41, 44).

On Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, and always, we celebrate that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made," and we acknowledge that all human life is precious, for we are made in His image. Let us also consider what this means in terms of living gospel-centered lives, with genuine concern for the lives of the unborn, as well as compassion and help for women and girls who face the difficulties of unplanned pregnancies or past abortions. That is what the Lord would have us do.

If you know of women or girls who need help in this area, please refer them to our partners at the pregnancy center here in Santa Clarita.

On Seeing Death Up Close

A guest post from Josh Sheridan:

Recently I saw a man die. For most people, especially in America this is probably a fairly uncommon occurrence. I am a nurse in the operating room, and a young man was brought in after a car accident for a trauma surgery. For those who have ever been in this situation you know the intensity with which it unfolds. A mad rush of activity to save a person's life, and valiant efforts no matter how hopeless the case.

Without going into details about how the whole process transpired, the young man did not make it. His body, despite all the medical technology and skill available today, simply could not absorb the trauma it was required to endure. Eventually it could no longer stop its bleeding, and even the addition of multiple blood products was to no avail. When it was all over, and he lay there motionless, the finality of the situation crept in. I found myself glancing upward (in spite of theological inaccuracies), thinking perhaps his spirit in its final departure to eternity, was viewing his body from above.

Sometimes in these situations you try not to think about stuff like that. It's easier to do your job, and prepare for the next case—which incidentally started in 30 minutes. I picked up little blood soaked objects from around the room like an alcohol pad stuck fast to the floor in dried blood, and a piece of gauze stained red and looking vaguely tissue-like. We placed sheet after sheet soaked in blood into the linen hamper, and washed every piece of equipment off that had even a drop of blood on it. Am I using the word blood too much? Well, there was a lot of it. Normally most of this would have been the job of the surgical housekeepers, but as I said there was another case in 30 minutes, and we had to get the room ready. For a while I didn't think we would ever get the room clean. It just seemed like so much. But eventually we wiped away the traces of human tragedy from the room, and to my amazement in the requisite time frame we had the room ready for the next case. As if nothing had ever happened.

But I could not wipe clean the memory from my mind. Sometimes I find myself taking little snapshots in my head of situations that are well, Kodak moments. My kids playing in the yard, sitting with my wife on the porch in the evening, regal cumulous clouds bursting over the horizon, and a surgeon's hand inside a man's chest holding closed the aortic artery. Yeah, weird. I know. But that's life. A compilation of the majestic and the tragic. I don't always know how to handle or even process it. I can't really think of any spiritual conclusions other than to say that I never want to take life or my time here on earth for granted.

I have faith in God and His sovereignty in life to get me through such times, and yet no pithy conclusions come to mind to bring closure to this event. It was tough. I will get over it, but it will take a while. As it should.

Abortionists Providing Cover for Statutory Rape?

"For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed" (John 3:20, NASB)

Meet Lila Rose, a 20-year-old History major at UCLA. Her diminutive size, small voice, and ability to act coy have allowed her to spoof being a 13- to 15-year-old seeking an abortion at Planned Parenthood. Rose's video and audio exposes are now making huge waves in the media. A recent video is provided below. In it Rose tells an Indiana Planned Parenthood nurse that she is only 13 years old and has been impregnated by her mother's 31-year-old live-in boyfriend. The nurse bluntly tells her "I don't want to know how old he is," then goes on to counsel her on how to lie about the situation. The video finishes with the nurse drawing a circle around an Illinois clinic address, where an abortion can be obtained without parental consent.



Granted, one could raise a legitimate argument against the deception involved in Rose's tactics, but shouldn't there be universal outrage that an adult in a position of authority would so willingly comply in a cover-up of statutory rape? These issues are emotionally charged and both sides of the debate are given to over-the-top characterizations -- and at times there is violence. So, in light of all we've heard at Copperhill and in God's Word about living out the gospel, how can we respond in a way that is loving, truthful, and morally consistent?

We'd like to hear your thoughts on this.

Looking for Signs of Thanksgiving?

A guest post from Mark Montoya:

To look at early U.S. colonial history and this morning's headlines is a study in contrasts. I just read that a Wal-Mart worker in Long Island was trampled to death by eager shoppers in the early hours of Black Friday. This part of the story was almost unbelievable:

Before police shut down the store, eager shoppers streamed past emergency crews as they worked furiously to save the store clerk's life. "They were working on him, but you could see he was dead," said Halcyon Alexander, 29. "People were still coming through." Only a few stopped.

Now, to be fair, we don't yet know whether the trampling was the immediate cause of death. The stampede might have triggered a heart attack (the victim was young, however) or some previous health condition. Still, one would expect the event to prompt more people to pause and perhaps offer a prayer for the person who is passing from this life a few feet away. What about just calling off the hunt right there out of respect for the departed? It reminds me of a story out of Israel a few years back in which a surveillance camera captured motorists swerving around a body that lay dead in a busy city intersection. What made it news was not the man's tragic death, but the callousness of his countrymen.

In contrast, there have been times in our nation's history during which a celebration of Thanksgiving prompted acts of selflessness and genuine appreciation for the blessings of this life and the providence of God Almighty. Just last night, my wife's cousin asked the family to observe the tradition of the "Five Kernels." I had not heard of this tradition before, and I'm still not sure how air-tight the story is. Yet, we can be confident of the conditions surrounding the time and place in which it is set.

As the legend goes, in the winter of 1621-22 the Pilgrims of Plymouth faced a "starving time" during which the rations fell to five kernels of corn per day, per person. In subsequent Thanksgiving celebrations, the settlers placed five kernels on their plates, just prior to the feast. They used that symbol to 1) count their blessings, 2) remember the sacrifices that were made, and 3) show appreciation for God's provision. We know that no one can survive for very long on five kernels per day, but considering that 46 of 102 Pilgrims perished that first harsh winter of 1621, it's not hard to see how truly tough life would have been. Here's what we do know: Even after facing some of the most difficult times in their lives, the Pilgrims sought to offer thanks to God.

On the commencement of Thanksgiving in 1623, Governor William Bradford issued this proclamation:

Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience. Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.

Our nation's history is not perfect by any stretch of imagination. But one aspect of the national heritage that seems worth preserving is that great tradition of setting aside a special time to collectively acknowledge our dependence on our Creator and to ask Him, once again, to bless America (and not just materially, but with goodness and repentance too). While the headlines offer little encouragement as we cross into that "holiday period" between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I am reminded of the need to resist hedonistic materialism and to look for ways to be more generous and thankful.

Connecticut - Gay Marriage Legal

On Friday of last week, the Connecticut Supreme Court overturned the ban on same sex marriage in their state. Here's a link to an article [click here]. Linked below are also the series of sermons preached at Copperhill last month concerning the biblical foundation for human sexuality and the God-given design for marriage to be between one man and one woman. Be reminded of our call to live morally consistent, loving, missionally permeated lives in the context of our community, for the eternal good and salvation of our community.

Is Same Sex Marriage OK? [Pt. 1]
Is Same Sex Marriage OK? [Pt. 2]
Is Same Sex Marriage OK? [Pt. 3]

What is your Rock?

As we all know, the financial world is going through turbulent times that are literally being felt all over the world. More than 30 have died in the last days due to a string of bombings in Baghdad. Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe has caused more than 80% of the population in that country to live below the poverty line. Up to 1 million people have been killed in Somalia in the last 15 years as a result of uprisings. Life on a fallen planet, inhabited by sinful people, is not always a walk in the park. In the midst of all this, among many other difficulties that life may throw at us, what is our Rock? What is our security?

What we run to in times of trouble reveals where our heart truly is. Do we run to the true God, or to a finite, temporal god (money, work, family) when the pressure is on? There's nothing wrong with family or work or money, but when they take the place of God, they become idols. What we naturally turn to in difficulty shows what we value the most, and therefore, what we worship. Becoming more like Christ means that there is a continual process of amputating the idols (remnant sin) that are present in our lives and to instead worship God in every area of life. This is a lifelong process that will not be perfectly complete until our ultimate glorification on the last day.

Think about this passage from Psalm 46:1-3: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."

Look at what you turn to in times of trouble. Is it to God? or to something else? God has promised to provide strength in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9) and He is trustworthy. Worship Him. If you have questions about this, feel free to email anyone on staff at Copperhill.

Kirk Cameron only kisses his wife

This is a great article where Kirk Cameron talks about his commitment to his marriage.  In a business where people move through spouses faster than running shoes, Kirk Cameron is a huge breath of fresh air.  Read about it here.

See the trailer for Kirk Cameron's new movie, Fireproof, here.