February 2017
By Rev. David Bottorff, Northern Illinois District Life Coordinator
What do you see in this picture? Do you see the LCMS Life Ministries banner and beneath it a small placard with the eyes of a child on it? Do you see Synod President Matthew C. Harrison on the right and people in green skull caps? Several hundred Lutherans from the LCMS Life 360 Conference being held in Alexandria, Virginia, joined others from across the nation at the March for Life on January 27 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The LCMS presence was identified by the eyesoflife.org caps and shirts we wore, our banners and the hymn placards we carried.
We really enjoyed singing the hymns over and over. President Harrison urged us to keep singing as he moved around our LCMS group. He cut through to where the CNN camera was filming and spoke and made the sign of the cross in front of the CNN camera.
Meeting the People
For me, the highlight was not just the hundreds of thousands of participants in this upbeat, cheering March for Life and the LCMS conference wrapped around it. That was a terrific experience by itself. But it was the individuals I met in the march and had the opportunity to get to know.
Martin is a Lutheran who lives in Prague (Czech Republic). This is the City of a Hundred Spires. Martin came to connect with people. I asked him, “What are your takeaways from this march and conference?” Martin told me he was taking home his many connections with hope-filled people. He said he was committed to come for the next two years to the National March for Life. Because Martin strongly affirms life based on God’s Word, he wants to go back home and share the biblical view of life with many people so that they will see the truth that life begins at conception and is worth protecting in Prague. Martin gave me a hope-filled view for our world.
LCMS Life 360 Conference
Hundreds of LCMS Lutherans attended the Divine Service with communion held at the Westin Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, before the March for Life. Pastor Christopher Esget, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Alexandria and sixth vice president of the LCMS, was chaplain for all our worship services at the LCMS Life 360 Conference. The services, sermons, and music led by Cantor Philip Magness were inspiring and law and gospel centered.
One message that connected well with me was by Pastor Alfonso Espinosa, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Irvine, California. He shared how someone cut through the march and put their elbow into a member of his church standing next to him, to show their strong disagreement with the marchers’ life-affirming position.
Pastor Espinosa emphasized how Jesus wants us to love that person too! Loving people who hold views opposite of ours or even those who hate us because of our views is hard. Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).
The plenary speakers were outstanding. Dr. George Delgado spoke about “It May Not Be Too Late: Abortion Pill Reversal.” He shared how Dr. Matt Harrison (President Harrison’s son) was the first to document reversal of mifepristone in the abortion pill by giving extra progesterone. Dr. Delgado and his group of doctors have seen a 65-70 percent success rate with 250 babies born since 2006 and in 100 pregnant women right now.
President Harrison’s talk on “Life Together in the LCMS” emphasized the mercy, compassion and care of those deceived by death culture on the one hand and how we are baptized into a community on the other hand. He shared how hopeful he was at seeing all of the young LCMS members at the conference.
Future Hopeful
Tim Goeglein, vice president of External Relations, Focus on the Family and on the Sanctity of Life Commission for the LCMS, spoke after our Saturday night banquet. He shared how there has not been a time since Roe v. Wade when he has been more hopeful for the pro-life movement. He is anticipating a cutback of roughly half a billion dollars of tax money support for Planned Parenthood.
Our conference concluded with journalist Mollie Hemingway, senior editor of The Federalist. She is a member of Immanuel in Alexandria. She speaks out for life issues and women’s issues from a biblical perspective. She said, “It is important to point out that Christian values are very good for women.” She sees hope for pro-life issues in our current millennial generation, just like Tim Goeglein. But she urged us to speak out for our life-affirming views directly to our state and federal legislators and senators.
I left Midway airport to come home from this uplifting LCMS Life 360 Conference with my eyesoflife.org skull cap on and a new hope from President Harrison, Tim Goeglein and Molly Hemingway.
I see more hope now on pro-life issues for our country than at any time since Roe v. Wade. Like Martin from Prague, we must now speak up for our Bible-based life values and participate in local life events, like the March for Life Chicago where President Harrison spoke this January and many LCMS Lutherans showed up to support our life-affirming values.