SANCTITY OF LIFE: The Biblical View of Life
Pastor Steven Osborne
Transcribed by PulpitAI (with edits)
A Message of Grace
Well, this morning I kind of want to start—part of my message, I want to put this in the beginning. This probably should have been at the end, but I think it’s important to start here. And as we look at this message on the sanctity of life, we know how divisive this is in our communities and in our world right now, and it’s so political.
But I want to just say, first of all, that this is a message of grace that I want to share this morning. I don’t want us to miss this, that, overall, it is a message of grace. It always needs to be a message of grace. John chapter 3, verse 16–17—a lot of times we just quote verse 16, but I think 17 is also important for us. It says:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into this world to condemn the world…
Can I hear an amen?
… but to save the world through him.
At the heart of this message and the heart of the gospel, Jesus did not come to this world to condemn the world. Amen? He came to save this world. And unfortunately, you know, through different reasons and our own lifestyles and sometimes the dumb things that comes out of our mouth, it is easy for the world to think that Jesus came to condemn. And that is not the message this morning. We don’t want to condemn anybody, right? And we want everyone to experience the love and the grace of God.
Romans chapter 8 verse 1 says:
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Amen? That is wonderful news. I am grateful for that, that we can all sit here today and that we all know—and even as you’re watching this—you don’t have to sit under condemnation this morning. You can experience the love of Christ and his grace in your life this morning. Doesn’t matter your past and the stuff that you have done. There is forgiveness, and we can experience all of that this morning.
Not About Politics
Also very important this morning as we look at this topic, at least for me and what I’m sharing this morning, it is not about politics. This has nothing to do about politics. Unfortunately, people have made this about politics and, you know, kind of on how we discern this, but I believe that this is about God’s heart, and it is important for us as the church to get this right and to have a good biblical view on this very important topic.
National Sanctity of Human Life Day
So again, I said, we’re talking about the sanctity of life. And I did not realize this, but it was proclaimed by Ronald Reagan back in the 80s, and so this is not, as far as I know, not an international thing; this is kind of a national celebration that we have, and I want to encourage you, in the Bible App—on your program you’ll find a QR code—I created a lot of resources for you. I created also this link about this website that will give you a little bit more details. And I want to just read for you a little bit so that you understand the heart behind this. It says:
Upon this act, sincerely believed…
So this is Ronald Reagan.
Upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty God. I also proclaim Sunday, January 17, 1988, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. I call upon the citizens of this blessed land to gather on that day in their homes and places of worship to give thanks for the gift of life they enjoy and to reaffirm their commitment to the dignity of every human being and the sanctity of every human life.
And so you can read that whole proclamation when you have some time maybe at home.
So again, typically I think we celebrate Sanctity of Life on January 22nd, and usually it’s the Sanctity of Life Sunday, whatever Sunday is the closest to that date, January 22nd. And so officially this is next Sunday, but this is such a big topic, we’ll take two Sundays, amen? We probably should take all year or all month, because it is important.
Current Status
So just a little bit on what is the current status right now as we look at this topic? It says 6 out of 10 unintended pregnancies end in induced abortions. Around 45% of abortions are unsafe. Around 73 million induced abortions take place worldwide each year.
Now, you can maybe take notice, this is not from a Christian website. All right? So this is from the World Health Organization, and this is from last year. It is pretty intense when you look at those numbers, what is happening around the world.
Planned Parenthood
Just kind of as we look at Planned Parenthood, I took this from their website. If you have absolutely nothing to do and you’re ready to get mad, I want to encourage you to go to their website, and you can read through that. But it’s interesting, right on their homepage there, it says:
Planned Parenthood Action Fund has never backed down from a fight, and we won’t start now.
Now, they know it is a fight, and they fight for their right to kill babies. And I just want to say, as we think about the church, it is a fight for us. It is a fight, and it’s an important fight. And just as Planned Parenthood will not back down, I think it’s important for the church not to back down when it comes to this situation.
Now, I know we might have different views on some of these things, but I think it’s important for us to have a biblical view. This morning, I cannot, in this short amount of time, convince you and show you all of the evidence and stuff that is going on to say, “This needs to be an important topic in your life.” The Holy Spirit needs to do it. You need to study God’s Word and maybe do some of your own research if this is not a conviction in your life. All I can say is, in life and as we think about Christianity and all of the many topics that’s out there and different views that we have as we think about—are you pre-trib millennial, or post-, or end times, and all of the different things that we can argue about—I just think as a believer that this is not one of those things. This should just be clear-cut for us in a sense on where we need to stand and what we have to believe.
And it’s interesting again, when you just look at this website, again, a lot of reading material. It says:
Abortion bans harm people of color. Abortion bans are a product of the historic and systematic barriers to health care that too many communities face every day.
And so it’s interesting how they’re kind of playing this. It is interesting when you look at the history of Planned Parenthood, that they have the nerves to even put this up there. And again, you need to do a little bit of research and go into the history of Planned Parenthood.
Abortion is Not a New Issue
Abortion is not a new issue. You know, obviously it’s a hot topic in our world right now, you know, especially when it comes during the election years, and I’m sure that will continue to be in front of us, but it is not a new issue.
And this morning, I want to just talk a little bit, in some of my studies recently, I’ve discovered—and you’ve maybe heard this name, and you know, obviously we’ve heard this name. I’ve never given a lot of time and thought to this North African theologian, Tertullian. And he lived during the third century. And just a little bit—he was a Roman lawyer; he played a very profound role in translating scripture into Latin; he was a Latin Christian theologian; and he was one of those early Christians that played a profound role when it comes to apologetics. And we don’t have a lot of information about him, but we do have some of his writings. And it was just amazing to kind of study the people that influenced him and the people that he influenced and just to see how many wonderful theologians came out of that North African region and their impact.
Now, a couple of things that how Tertullian played an important role:
He condemned Roman morality, especially as it pertained to young girls who were often abandoned and enslaved into prostitution.
So again, nothing new, been around for a long time.
But here’s just kind of one that was like an “aha” moment for me:
He also condemned abortion by arguing that the soul and the material person came together to form a human being at conception.
Now again, during that time, there was—obviously I kind of was reading all of the challenges that they faced with abortion during that time. You can just imagine some of the shortage of medical knowledge that they had during that time. But one of the things that they used, they had a piece of medical equipment that go into the mother’s womb, and they would chop off the head of this baby, and then get rid of this child. And so he was a strong voice against some of this and what was happening.
And I just believe as we look throughout the ages, it is important that Christians always have a strong voice when it comes against this topic. You know, it is needed. Unfortunately, you know, it is around the world a major topic, and a lot of people are making money with this. And so we need to really stand. There’s obviously all kinds of different excuses that people are using, and so we have to really do our research to say, how can we have conversation? How can we be active, and how can we speak to what is happening in our community? Obviously we hear some of the conversations about a fetus is not a human, right? How do we speak to some of that? We see the banners of the, kind of, “My body, my choice,” right? And so we can have a pretty major conversation around that topic. How do we address that? And that is just really nonsense when we go into some of these details.
As believers, we believe that life begins at conception. Can I hear an amen? And so we have to get clarity around that topic. Again, I want to encourage you to do your homework. There’s enough beautiful biblical resources out there for you to take time and to go and study this.
Tertullian was among the first Christian theologians to articulate a firm stance against abortion, grounding his arguments in the sanctity of life and the belief that life begins at conception.
The Role of Youth
Now, this morning I feel a little bit like I’m preaching to the choir. I think most of us will be in agreement on most of these statements, but I want to really talk to our young people that is sitting here this morning, and to say, as the church, we would love for you to really study God’s Word and to know what His Word is saying, and that these things will be a conviction in your own life as well, because you guys are the next generation, and not to just be swept away by things that you hear from the culture. Do your homework. Study God’s Word. Have that conviction that God cares about all life. And all of you have a role to play in this. And we know that Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy. And obviously he has done a fantastic job when it comes to this area of life. And so we’re praying for you guys. And so that’s why this morning is such an important topic, because you will have to carry this with you. It needs to be a conviction, because when you enter into colleges and stuff, you will hear a very different message, and Satan will do whatever he can to bring deception and to lie to you and where we can think that this is okay. This morning I can stand here and say it is not okay.
Grace and Truth
The next piece, as we think about this topic—I think what is important is that, again, that it needs to be a message about grace and truth. We need to speak truth around this topic, but we also need to have grace around this topic. And I will not be surprised if there is some of you that have been impacted by this already, maybe family members or maybe even yourself that have experienced this in your own life. And we want to be sensitive to that this morning. And we’re sorry that you had to go through that. And this morning, I want to just say—and I want to make this message very clear, and I hope you will stand with me, and I hope our young people will hear this, because a lot of times, the attitude can be, and people can hear this lie, that, especially if you grew up in the church and you say you’re a believer, and you’ve maybe messed up, and suddenly this choice is in front of you, you might take this horrible step because of concerns and fear about the church maybe or your family maybe rejecting you.
And this morning, I hope that, as a church, that our message will be that, yes, even if you mess up—we would prefer you not take these actions and these steps—but as a church, we want to say that, even if you have done this and you make that mistake, that we will be people of grace, and that there is no need for you to walk away from the church because you think that you will be rejected. You will not be rejected. I hope you will not be rejected by any church.
And this morning, I want to have a bold question. If you agree, if that is true for you this morning, if you declare this morning that you will stand and that you will not reject anybody, any young girl that has done that action, that you will stand with me. Don’t feel the pressure. There’s no guilt, no shame, okay? I hope, Nick, you can get a good view of this. Well, first of all, we’re gonna hold this against you on camera. Just kidding. But if people are watching this online, that they will know that this is a safe church, that you can come through these doors. You will not be rejected.
And listen to me, kids, students, even if you overstep some of those boundaries, you don’t have to go to this extreme. The church will not reject you. You are loved, and we will stand with you. Amen.
You may be seated. Thank you for doing that. And we now have the evidence.
History of Abortion
In his work, in one of the books, Apology, Tertullian declared:
It is a crime to kill a human being, and it makes no difference whether it’s a child in the womb or one who has been born. In both instances, destruction is murder.
Now, again, kind of when we look through the ages, we’ll see maybe different time periods where things are a little bit slower. And then again, we kind of saw in 1840 an uptick in this area of abortion. And then praise the Lord, again, there was kind of the church that spoke up and ministered and brought some direction. And then things kind of slowed down a little bit. But so we see an uptick and then things become slower, but again, when you kind of track the history, you see it’s the church every time that speaks up and that helps in in this area.
Biblical Perspective
So this morning, just to kind of consider God’s Word, because again, you can say, “Oh, this is important to Steven,” but that will only take you so far. And so I want us to look at God’s word this morning so that there can be a conviction in your own life.
Genesis 1:27 says:
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
So there needs to be moral clarity this morning that you and every baby in the womb is created in the image of God. That’s where it all starts, right? And so that needs a conviction. It’s like, here’s something beautiful that God created. Who are we, then, to kill? We are not in that position.
Genesis chapter 9 says:
“Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made mankind.As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”
So there you have permission today to have a lot of kids. There’s not a lot of kids, so I can probably go on on that topic.
But again, we kind of have a sense on, again, how God places value on this topic.
And then Psalm 139 that we read from Psalm of David, it says:
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 full well.
It continues:
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.
Isn’t that just a beautiful passage, right? And we can just kind of see that image of God’s invisible hand forming that baby. It is a miracle, and it is a gift.
And then Jeremiah 1:5. It says:
“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.”
I wish I had time this morning to kind of go into the context of this, right, because Jeremiah is kind of wrestling with this, and God is calling him to go and preach, and then you have this wonderful just kind of affirmation.
And so just think about the implication of this important word, that if God is saying, “Hey, I knew you, and I formed you, and I have a plan for you,” right, then that is true for every baby. That is true for every person sitting here. Nobody is just, at least, “per accident.” At the end of the day, God formed you, and that is with a reason. There’s a purpose behind your life.
Now imagine if somehow Jeremiah was aborted. Right? Killing a prophet and this wonderful plan that God had for his life. Now we can only imagine and think about all of the lives that have been destroyed over all these years. It is sad.
It is interesting, when you look at this passage in Exodus chapter 21, again, kind of how they add value to a pregnant woman. And so we’ll read that. It says:
“If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”
Right? And so you kind of just see the weight of this to say, “We got to care for mom and baby.” So what has changed, right, when we think about just our life and how did we get to this place where we don’t care about the unborn anymore? Nothing has changed.
I’ll leave you this morning with this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It says:
Human life is sacred because it is created in the image of God. To disregard the value of life is to dishonor the Creator.
I think there is some moral clarity when we look at this quote.
And I pray this morning, again, that you will take time—if this is not a conviction in your life, take time, study God’s Word, and allow the Holy Spirit to bring that conviction to you. Because I know, even when we look at the Ten Commandments, it is very clear. It says, “You shall not murder,” right? And that is for all life. And we need to take care of it.
Women’s Care Center
So this morning, we have the privilege of having Debbie here from the Women Care Center.
I kind of have to say, I’m ashamed I got to only visit them last week for the first time, and the staff, and to just go and say hi to them. And I should have been there a long time ago. I was so impressed with them and their work. Got to see some of the moms that came in and just to see their beautiful ministry and their facility. They are doing a wonderful job. And able to see them handing out some diapers. So even this diaper drive that we have, it is not for nothing. It is going for a great cause. And I want to encourage you, if you get a chance and you’re downtown, pop in. Go and say hi. Take some donuts. Do your team like doughnuts? All right, take doughnuts and bless them.
So this morning I want to invite first of all Cheri Swensson, and then she will introduce Debbie. But I know you’ve got kind of a word, and you’re volunteering out there, so we’re excited to hear. And then after they’re done sharing then we will pray together.
Introduction – Cheri Swensson
Good morning. My name is Cheri, and I know most of you, I hope. This is Debbie, my friend from the Women’s Care Center. And I’m just gonna say a few things about this because I’ve had the privilege of volunteering there.
But first, I want to point to the white rose. In 1984, when President Reagan declared the National Day of Life, the white rose was common in churches to signify the purity of those that had died through abortion. I would further say it also signifies the purity that Christ offers to those women who have been part of that. Anyway, that’s what that’s about.
Another thing I want to do is—Jasmine isn’t here today to go, “Go buy diapers!” And so I’ll say that for her. Go buy diapers! I did that this week. I found myself in the aisle at Target going, “I don’t go down this aisle ever.” And there’s so many diapers in different sizes, and I understood they need the larger size diapers. Is that so? Okay. So anyway, please go buy diapers. There’s a place out front by the coffee area where you can put them.
Okay. We are highlighting the Women’s Care Center today. I had the privilege of working there for the past four years. The staff is amazing. They are. They really are. And yet it’s the women that I’ve met, the young women, that have really changed my life, impacted it. It’s through the volunteers that participate in offering classes and parenting and many other things. They offer free counseling and ultrasounds, pregnancy testing, and I’m sure that you’ll share more of that, Debbie, and various education classes. And in exchange, they can get diapers and clothing and formula, car seats, and so much more, just by being a part of it. And they are learning so much from it.
I have an aside on that. I had one day—I like to meet with the girls, the women, girls/women, in a circle. I just think it’s more intimate. (My husband’s doing this. Can you hear me okay?) And I asked them—this was in the news at the time about the economy, the gas prices, the food. I asked them, how is that impacting you? And they have a lot of resources that they could go to, of course, but they said the area that was really hitting them and their friends was diapers and formula. It’s so expensive, and they’re really struggling. They even went so far as to share with me that they’re trying to train their little ones out of diapers as soon as they can so they don’t have to buy diapers. Sad. Anyway, that’s the kind of conversations that we get to have, and I love it.
I also want to say that the Women’s Care Center is, as Pastor said, a message of grace, because it’s all about them putting that in action and coming alongside the girls.
I also wanted to just mention that it’s not just for the girls. We’ve had some guys come, the fathers, or the fathers that are going to be. They want to learn too about how to be good moms and dads, and so that’s part of what this is all about.
Anyway, all over the place, but i just want to say welcome to Debbie, and I can’t wait to hear what you have to share.
Women’s Care Center – Debbie Ellingsen
Thank you, Cheri. And thank you, Pastor.
Actually I was gonna mention that Pastor Steven came in this week, and after he came in—and he got to see a brand new baby. One of your clients I think that you meet with frequently, Cheri, had a baby at the beginning of January, so he got to see full circle kind of what was going on at the center. But more importantly, what I noticed about you, Pastor, is that you asked to pray for us, right there, right then, and that is so meaningful to us. It doesn’t happen all the time, believe it or not. We know the prayers are there, but to pray with us right there and ask how you might help us is really really meaningful to us. Thank you so much. And also, after he left our building—for those of you who may not be familiar with who we are or where we’re located, we’re at 103 East First Street, on the corner of First and First, kind of like a Walgreens commercial. Kitty-corner from us is the abortion clinic. I saw Pastor Steven leaving our building and he walked down to the abortion clinic, and I can only assume that it was to say a few prayers, and I thank you for that too.
So, I’m Debbie Ellingson. I’m the Executive Director at the Women’s Care Center. I’ve been there for three years.
I want to thank each and every one of you for braving the elements and coming out today to hear this message. It’s so important in our community, and Duluth is an unusual community as it relates to pro-life.
As Pastor said and the video said, January is Sanctity of Life Month. And for those of you that don’t know what “sanctity” means, it is the quality or state of being holy, very important, or valuable. We are all so valuable.
Today, I would like to share a little bit about how the Women’s Care Center, how we value our community, how we value our moms and babies, and how we value our dads. Cheri mentioned that we do support males too, men. A lot of guys will come to our building and say, “Can we come in?” Absolutely you can come in. And we are fortunate enough that Brandon Torgerson—he’s the Executive Director over at the Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge—has started a men’s group at the Women’s Care Center, and we are going on our third month with it. They meet once a month, and the guys come together and just learn a little bit more about how to be a strong father.
Women’s Care Center’s mission is to help pregnant women choose life for their babies, have healthier pregnancies, and become better parents. We provide support from conception to cradle or kindergarten.
How do we provide that support? As everybody has already mentioned, we do free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds, and free counseling. We provide prenatal and child development education (that’s where Cheri comes in). Most of our classes are taught by volunteers. Actually, 100% of them are. They are not charging to come in and provide a little expertise. We provide life skills, self-sufficiency training, and we do group parenting classes, and that’s really where Cheri comes in.
We find that the moms and dads who come together, a lot of times they feel very alone. They don’t after they take the classes. They become friends. They share their Snapchats. They share their Instagrams and texts and all that kind of thing so that they are not alone. They become friends. And that’s part of our goal, is that we’re providing support past the ultrasound, past the pregnancy tests. There’s so much more after that. And we’re there for them. We walk alongside of them.
In 2024, the Women’s Care Center performed 398 pregnancy tests. That’s a 19% increase over 2023.
We performed 527 ultrasounds. That’s a 34% increase over 2023.
Our total visits was 1,658, a 19% increase over 2023.
And the diapers that you guys are doing a drive for, last year we handed out 10,777 diapers. So the diapers are super super helpful. When somebody comes in for a class, they earn twelve diapers and three coupons. The coupons can be used in our what we call the Crib Club. The Crib Club is brand new items that people can use (basically) their dollars towards, and the Crib Club is pretty amazing, I think.
Interesting facts:
One out of five babies born to moms in St. Louis County start at the Women’s Care Center. Yeah, it’s a big number. Uh-huh.
Did you know that a baby’s heart beats approximately 54 million times before it’s born? 54 million times.
At as early as six weeks, the baby starts to show grasping, moving their jaw (like I’m doing), and rolling over. At six weeks.
How can you help the Women’s Care Center? And I’m gonna put a plug in for the Lake Superior Life Care Center, too, because while we are not attached, so to say—we are different entities—we both walk alongside each other. We support each other. And this community is forever faithful and wonderful to support both of our missions.
So how can you get involved with the Women’s Care Center?
Through volunteering, which can look like watching babies during classes. So Cheri does a class. Every class that we offer, we provide daycare for the moms so they get one hour of uninterrupted time for themselves to learn something, or to veg out, really. Whatever they want to do, we’re there for them. So we’re always looking for volunteers to help out during the classes.
We do get a fair amount of used clothing. We could always use somebody to help with sorting those clothes out by sizes. And then the diapers that you guys give, we break them down into bundles of twelve. So if you ever are looking to help out, we’re happy to have you come into the center.
Donating. A hundred percent of what we do and what Lake Superior Life Care Center does is through individual and local companies supporting what our mission is.
And the biggest thing is to spread awareness about the Women’s Care Center and who we are.
We did a Christmas giveaway on December 22nd. I’m gonna end with this story. I think we probably received $10,000 worth of toys. That’s just the toys. We also received $2,500 worth of gift cards. We hand those out to every mom who—well, they sign up, so we have some ordered to the day. They each get fifteen minutes to go in and shop for their child. We were able to provide 471 children with a toy for Christmas this year. It’s the best day of the year. So if you’re ever looking for an opportunity, we also do that Christmas giveaway. It’s gotten kind of big where we do three days, and at the end of it, we open it up to the community. So it’s not just our clients. We want to help anyone who needs the help.
So that’s the Women’s Care Center, and I thank you so much for coming out this morning. It was a crazy drive. Kind of.
And I’m gonna leave one more little thing. I grew up in this neighborhood from kindergarten to third grade. I lived on 58th Avenue, right down there. I’m not sure why my mom sent us to Sunday school here. Maybe it was because she needed an hour break. I’m not sure. But my brother and I came here as young children, and I have some real core memories of sitting up there for a class and playing floor hockey in your gym.
So thank you for being here, thank you for supporting our community, and the Holy Spirit is working here. I feel it every time I walk in this building, and I thank you so much.
Closing Remarks – Pastor Steven Osborne
Let’s pray. You want to stand here, Debbie, and we’ll pray for you.
I think that there’s a temptation for us as a church, after a great morning and after hearing from Debbie, to kind of just say, “Oh, that was a good morning,” and then we forget, right? And we need to make this part of our life and to see how we can get involved. You’ve got to figure that out with your resources and time, but we can all pray, and so keep praying for them.
You have this little prayer, and we’ll pray this over them now. But on the back, I have a question there for us. It says, “How can we, as the body of Christ, create a conviction about the sanctity of life while extending God’s grace to those who have experienced abortion?” So maybe just a question for you to ponder this week.
Marylou, are you okay to come and pray this over us? Thank you. I didn’t give you a heads up. Let us pray and pray over Debbie.
Closing Prayer – Marylou MacInnes
Heavenly Father, I come before you with a heart burdened for the sanctity of life in the Duluth community. You are the Creator of all things, and I praise you for the precious gift of life. Your Word reminds us that every person is fearfully and wonderfully made, and that you know each of us even before we are formed in the womb.
Lord, I pray for an awakening in Duluth to the value and sanctity of life. Let Your truth permeate every corner of our community. Turn hearts toward you, and soften the minds of those who may see life as disposable. I ask that you bring clarity and compassion to those facing the difficult decision of abortion, showing them that you have a plan and purpose for every life.
Father, I lift up the Women’s Care Center and Life Care Center to You. Thank You for the work they are doing to provide hope, resources, and care to women and families in crisis. Bless their staff and volunteers with wisdom, strength, and perseverance as they serve others. Provide for all their needs, whether financial, emotional, or spiritual, and protect them from opposition as they carry out this important mission. May their ministries be a beacon of hope and life in our community.
Lord, I also pray for those who have experienced abortion. Let them know that your grace is sufficient and that your love is greater than their pain or regret. Surround them with people who will walk alongside them with compassion and point them to your healing power.
Use me, Father, as an instrument of your peace and love. Show me how I can support life-affirming work in Duluth, whether through prayer, giving, volunteering, or simply sharing your truth with others. Help me to be bold yet gentle, always reflecting your heart in my words and actions.
Thank you, Lord, for hearing my prayer and for being the source of life and hope. I place this community, these ministries, and every precious life in your hands. In Jesus’ name, amen.
