Welcome to our 42nd online Port Ann Wesleyan youth lesson. Catch up on previous lessons here.
We’ll kick off this week’s lesson with the song “Untold” by Matthew West:
Please be praying for the Dillman family. Holly, her dad Dave and mom Melissa, all have COVID. Dave was admitted into the hospital yesterday with chest pain which led to a diagnosis of pneumonia in one lung and a blood clot in the other. He was discharged this afternoon on blood thinners, but has a way to go. Holly admits she feels terrible with the illness and also is dealing with an eye infection.
Sally Sheets learned that she will need radiation treatments now on the tumor in her pancreas … starting next month, she will have to travel to Hershey five days a week for treatments for five weeks in a row before surgeons can hopefully go in and remove the tumor. Please pray for her, Pastor Paul, Sherilyn, Stevan and the family.
Betty Herman continues to be at the hospital with minimal response to doctors who were hoping she’d be more awake by now after her treatments for COVID and an infection. Her husband, Roy, and daughter, Star, were able to visit her yesterday in hopes that the familiar voices help Betty respond better. Star was sent home from school last Thursday with COVID. Roy had a biopsy on a mass in his abdomen.
Candy Mitchell was taken a week ago today to the hospital with strep throat, a condition extra dangerous for her after her kidney replacement a while back. She improved and was able to be discharged home and has been doing much better since then.
Myron Campbell was in the hospital not too long ago, but is out again. He still struggles day to day with weakness and confusion.
We have received a request for prayer and assistance from our youth group from Ruth Smith for a 30-year-old young man named Johnathan Foote (pictured below) who was diagnosed last month with Hodgkin Lymphoma. He is a friend of Ruth’s brother and Johnathan’s sister was Ruth’s best friend growing up. Johnathan has no health insurance and isn’t able to work due to his diagnosis and treatments. He is currently staying with his mother who transports him to Geisinger for chemo treatments for the 13 cm tumor in his chest that is pushing on the lungs. Johnathan professes Christ as his savior, but could obviously need a hand up. Please be praying for him and his family. Also, Ruth said that gas or grocery gift cards would be very helpful. Also, we’d like to shower him with cards to uplift and encourage. If you’d like to help out, please reach out to us via email and we will send you his mailing address.
For this week’s lesson, we are tackling the controversial subject of abortion, a few days after the National Sanctity of Life Sunday observance. Pastor Paul Sheets covered the topic in his morning message. You can check that out here.
The statistics are staggering. An estimated 42 million abortions were performed last year world-wide — and that is only the abortions that were officially counted. Many others go on under the radar due to a variety of factors. For context, 13 million people died world-wide last year due to communicable diseases (including COVID), eight million died from cancer and 1 million from suicide. Perhaps the most mind-blowing stat: The number of pregnancies terminated worldwide in 2020 is greater than the total number of people that succumbed to all other leading causes of death listed — combined.
Abortion is the killing and removal of a baby from the mother’s womb, in most cases because the mother doesn’t want a baby for whatever reason. Yes, there are abortions for women who are facing major health challenges and/or the baby is facing a life of disability (not that this is an OK reason to go through with the procedure), but statistically by a large margin, most abortions are because of a lack of wanting to carry to term or not feeling adequate in raising a child.
As we learn from the 10 commandments handed down to Moses in Exodus 20:13: “You shall not murder.” This is a very clear, black-and-white expectation. The grayness surrounds the ambiguity of when life officially begins in the womb. Some suggest it is after a certain amount of time passes, others suggest when a heartbeat is detected. Scientifically, it technically starts at the fusion of the sperm and egg into an embryo. Consider the argument by Allen Parr on this topic in the video below, who has some very divisive comments on the subject.
We are sharing this video to jumpstart conversation on the topic … not necessarily saying that every thing Allen states is truth. What do you think of his presentation? Send us an email with your comments, we’d love to have an open dialogue on such a controversial subject.
A few years ago, a controversial movie on the subject of abortion titled “Unplanned” was released in theaters. It was surrounded by debate on the graphic nature of some of the scenes, but the story follows Abby Johnson, a woman who was a high-ranking official with Planned Parenthood until she witnessed an abortion being completed. What she saw changed her life and pushed her to the front of the pro-life movement. Here is a short video sharing her story from that fateful day:
Obviously, regardless of what Allen Parr or Abby Johnson have to say about abortion, the most important consideration — as Christians — is what God says via the following Bible verses:
Genesis 1:27: So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Exodus 20:13: “You shall not murder.”
Psalm 139:13-16: 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. 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.
Jeremiah 1:5: “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.”
Considering many abortions are by young women who feel scared, overwhelmed and confused, how should one react in a situation where you are faced unexpectedly with a pregnancy? There are numerous verses about adoption … God adopts all of us into His kingdom and eternal life with Him. He encourages us to protect children, to rally around the fatherless, to open our homes to those who are in need.
Using the Bible as a guide, adoption should always be chosen over abortion. Again, what are your thoughts? We’d love to hear your comments and foster an open dialogue. Emails can be sent here.
We’ll wrap up with another song by Matthew West on the subject:
