IRD Hosts Annual United Methodist Pro-Life Sermon

Tooley: Hello this is Mark Tooley, president of the Institute on Religion & Democracy, delighted to host today the annual worship service of Lifewatch, United Methodism’s pro-life caucus, commemorating the 48th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court in 1973. Typically, this service is held at the Methodist building on Capitol Hill, but of course the pandemic has made everything a little bit more difficult. So, Paul Stallsworth, the head of Lifewatch, has traveled all the way from North Carolina to be here in the IRD office to give the annual Lifewatch address. This video will be posted on the IRD website and social media, as well as on Lifewatch’s website and social media. So, be sure to share this video with your friends afterwards. Paul Stallsworth, distinguished United Methodist minister, thank you so much for giving this address on behalf of your organization.

Stallsworth: Many thanks to you, Mark. In the name of Jesus Christ, welcome to the 2021 Lifewatch Sermon. Our location is the “global headquarters” of the Institute on Religion & Democracy in Washington, D.C. Many thanks to IRD and Mr. Mark Tooley for your hospitality today. My name is Paul Stallsworth, elder in the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church, editor and president of Lifewatch, and today’s preacher.

The annual Lifewatch Sermon is usually preached at Simpson Memorial Chapel in The United Methodist Building on Capitol Hill. But COVID cometh! Hence, this venue.

In his recent book Live Not by Lies, Rod Dreher declares: “The essence of modernity is to deny that there are any transcendent stories, structures, habits, or beliefs to which individuals must submit and that should bind our conduct. To be modern is to be free to choose. What is chosen does not matter; the meaning is in the choice itself. There is no sacred order, no other world, no fixed virtues and permanent truths. There is only here and now and the eternal flame of human desire. Volo ergo sum — I want, therefore I am.”

According to Dreher, modernity denies there are transcendent stories that are significant, that make a difference in our lives.

Well, a few of us believe that modernity is, to use Dreher’s word, a lie. If modernity is a lie, then transcendent stories do exist. There are “transcendent stories… to which individuals must submit and that should bind our conduct.”

Here we are: in the middle of American modernity. Let’s do something really radical. Let’s turn to two “transcendent stories” from the New Testament: one about Mary and the other about Joseph. Listen to two stories about young people responding to the divine message spoken by two angels.

First, Our Lady…

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’. The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.”

Second, Joseph…

“Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,’ which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.”

The angels speak the Word of God to Mary and Joseph. Mary and Joseph respond in three ways: they listen; they trust; and they obey.

First, Mary and Joseph listen. Espoused in the first-century Jewish world of Galilean peasants, Mary and Joseph are well on their way to living a conventional, respectable, simple life together. Then angels arrive and announce disruption: unplanned pregnancy, birth of a son, one named Jesus, one who “will be great,” one called “the Son of the Most High,” one who will rule from “the throne of his ancestor David” (Luke 1:31-32), one who “will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The angels bring news of disruption.

When confronted by an angel of disruption, Mary is “perplexed” and “afraid,” puzzled, and fearful. When confronted by his disruptive angel, Joseph is consumed with doing the righteous thing — quietly dissolving his relationship with Mary, sparing her from the big shun and worse. Instead of doing what they want to do, what they feel like doing, Mary and Joseph listen to the angels. Neither protests: “Angel, I am too busy for you!” “I have too many plans for this!” “What you are saying is crazy!” “Your words are upsetting me; please, leave!” “I have already made up my mind; I know what is right; go away!” Mary and Joseph listen.

Second, Mary and Joseph trust. After listening to the angels, Mary and Joseph must have been ready to run to a best friend, or steal away to a faraway village, or escape to a hiding place in the hills. But they do not. Though made very uncomfortable by the angels, they stay put. Mary just stands there. Joseph just lies there — sleeping, no less! And the Word of God from the angels works into their hearts and minds. A child is on the way. A unique child. Who is from God. Who is God. Who will be Emmanuel, “God with us.” A savior. A ruler. This Word of God is the truth to Mary and Joseph. God’s Word, the truth, wins their trust.

Third, Mary and Joseph obey. Mary and Joseph listen to the angels. Then they trust God’s Word from the angels. Finally, they obey.

After the angel finally stops talking, Mary responds: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:37-38). Mary agrees to receive and carry and birth and raise and follow and suffer for the promised Child. Mary obeys. Regarding Mary’s obedience in Luke 1, Rev. John Wesley speculates: “It is not improbably, that this time of the virgin’s humble faith, consent, and expectation, might be the very time of her conceiving.”

Later, when the angel finishes speaking into Joseph’s dream, he wakes up. He wastes no time. He does exactly what the angel commands: he takes Mary as his wife. Joseph obeys.

So, responding to God’s Word spoken by angels, both Mary and Joseph, in their unique ways, listen, trust, and obey. Their listening leads to their trusting, and their trusting becomes their obeying.

Allow a couple of observations about what Mary and Joseph’s obedience looks like. First, the obedience of both of them involves togetherness. Mary receives Jesus as her baby. Joseph takes Mary, who was with Child, as his wife. Their obedience brings people together. It does not separate and distance and isolate people from each other. In bringing people together, Mary’s obedience and Joseph’s obedience reflect “… ‘Emmanuel,’ which means, ‘God is with us.’” Because God is indeed with us (in Jesus Christ), Mary and Joseph are called to be with others: Mary with Jesus, Joseph with Mary.

Second, this togetherness involves difficulty; it is not warm and fuzzy. As all of us know that just before he died, Rev. John Wesley declared: “The best of all, God is with us!” United Methodist preachers today retell that story too often. We repeat the story, probably, to help our churches feel good. However, God’s togetherness, God’s being with us, demands much. When God, through Jesus Christ, joins us, Christ “emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found inhuman form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:7-8). You might say that Christ’s obedience to His Father, to join us in this world, points downward — from heavenly majesty to earthly humility. Likewise, Mary’s obedience, her togetherness with her Son, points downward — from a life she planned just like she wanted to a life she accepted. Likewise, Joseph’s obedience, his togetherness with Mary, points downward — from a life with good appearances to a marriage with a questionable start. When God joins us, when God is with us, when Jesus and Mary and Joseph are obedient to God, their direction turns downward. The going gets rough. Sacrifice is in.

Listen. Trust. Obey. And this obedience demands togetherness and downwardness (or sacrifice); remember Mary and Joseph — and even Jesus.

What about today? How do listening, trusting, and obeying fit into life today? Into modernity? Here are three illustrations.

First, a young, stable, married couple discovers that a child is on the way. They are thankful. Midway into the pregnancy, the parents are told by their doctors that their child has a rare, mortal disease. The child will be born, then he will soon die; so, the medical authorities suggest abortion. What should the couple do? Long, difficult discussions follow. Long, sleepless nights ensue. There is anger and uncertainty and full pain and, finally, peace. After much consideration and prayer, they decide to welcome the child and love him as long as possible.

So, the child is born. The tiny son is loved by mother and father. He is perhaps baptized by a hospital chaplain. Tragically and sadly, the newborn son dies from the disease. In a matter of days, A Service of Death and Resurrection is held for the little one: he is offered to God’s mercies, his soul to the Communion of the Saints and his body to the ground to await the General Resurrection at Christ’s return.

As this story unfolds in real time, God must be speaking; and mother and father are listening, trusting, and obeying. Their obedience is difficult, but they do what is right and what is difficult: they welcome their little one, and then offer him back to God.

Second, the year is 1958. A young woman in Italy becomes pregnant with her first child. The mother is hospitalized with a common ailment. Doctors advise her to be rid of the child, who “would be born with some disability.” A devout Catholic Christian, she continues to carry her child. Her son is born with congenital glaucoma. He is completely blind at 12. But also, he has what has been described as “the most beautiful [voice] in the world.” Andrea Bocelli’s song “With You I Shall Leave” is one of the best-selling singles ever, and his “Sacred Arias” album is the best-selling album by a classical artist of all time. Day after day, Bocelli tells his story, and his mother’s, on a video that is watched by thousands. Mrs. Edi Bocelli: she listens; she trusts; and she obeys. She welcomes and raises her son, as she humbles herself. We cannot help but think that her son, Andreas, also listens, trusts, and obeys in a unifying, sacrificial way.

Third, consider a counter-example of listening, trusting, and obeying. Even years ago, the sexuality debate is jostling The United Methodist Church. A seminary holds a public event on the topic. Several professors and an activist-revisionist sit on a panel and make presentations. Many students, eager to learn, take it all in.

The professors are thoughtful and sophisticated, but they talk about their own opinions. They do not give serious attention to the Biblical witness or Church history or Church doctrine. From the perspective of today’s sermon texts, one might say that these presenters do not first listen, trust and obey — before they make their presentations. Instead, they take for themselves supersized roles. They demonstrate to their audience how to silence God’s Word, replace Church doctrine, and allow the freedom-to-choose to run wild in the Church. Their presentations and their examples might actually render some of their listeners incapable of listening to, trusting, and obeying the Word of God with regard to human sexuality. A great sadness.

“I could never live like that. I could never listen to, trust, and obey God’s Word — for the good of others and at my own sacrifice. I just couldn’t do that,” most reply.

Well, on our own, by ourselves, apart from God’s grace and Christ’s Church, that is correct. On our own, we cannot follow Mary and Joseph’s example of listening, trusting, and obeying.

However, we can do things that will help prepare us to do what we think is impossible. Regularly attend a local church, a local church who’s listening to the Word of God becomes trusting and obeying. Receive Holy Communion as often as possible. Stay in close fellowship with a small group that hold us accountable. Do those things, and listening, trusting, and obeying become imaginable.

Be warned! Along the way, we will fail. We will listen to the latest podcast opinion. We will trust the self-help section at the local bookstore. And we will obey our own desires. We will fail. We will sin.

When we sin, fear not. That boy, who was carried by Mary and defended by Joseph, died on a cross for the forgiveness of the sins we commit. He was raised from the dead, so that we might turn from our sin, and toward God, for new life. So that we might continue to listen, trust, and obey.

One more thing. God and the angels, Mary and Joseph, went to a lot of trouble to make sure that Jesus was born. Now, can you imagine the Church, gathered around the risen Jesus Christ, backing the notion that children are just a matter of choice?

Nor can I.

In the Name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, all God’s people said — Amen!

Let us pray. Father, we thank you for this occasion. For this space. For your word. For the call to each of us which humbles us time and again, oh God. You have come to us and lifted us and forgiven us and send us out again. And we’re grateful. We are thankful that you have accomplished this in your son Jesus Christ. Open our ears. Throw open wide the door of our hearts. And may our wills be captured by you, for the sake of obedience. All of this, we pray through Jesus Christ. And God’s people said “Amen.”

Again, Mark, thank you.