Rescue those being led away to death;
Proverbs 24:11-12
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?
During the Holocaust, history tells the story of a young boy who spent his Sundays in a small church by the railroad tracks. Every Sunday morning, they would hear the train pass by. However in the Spring of 1944, one Sunday changed everything. As the minister was preaching, the train, as usual, rattled by the little church. But this time, there was a noticeable difference – loud wailing and shouting could be heard from inside the train cars.
In utter horror, they realized it was coming from Jews who were being taken to a concentration camp. Unsure of how to respond, the minister began to sing and encouraged others to join him, in an attempt to drown out the cries of those being taken to their death. From then on, the little church adjusted their singing time to coincide with the passing of the train. Sometimes, they could still hear the cries, so they sang even louder.
The young boy grew up but never forgot the horror that each Sunday brought. In his later years, he still carried the grief of how he and the other Christians did nothing to stop the death of their fellow humans.
We often wonder what we would have done during the Holocaust. Would we have silently continued with our daily lives, trying to ignore the evil taking place? Or would we have taken action to intervene?
Many believe that abortion is our modern-day form of the Holocaust. How we respond to abortion now is what we would have done then.
With 40% of women and 50% of men attending church at least once a month when they chose abortion, are we conveying that we are there to help them? Are our churches offering support, resources, and love to help women and men overcome their fear of an unplanned pregnancy, enabling them to choose life for their child and themselves?
Do we have love and empathy for those struggling with a past abortion? Are we ready to open our hearts and offer our time to help them find healing and hope?
By providing a safe and supportive environment for mothers, the church empowers them to provide the same for their preborn child. We are called to love them both – it’s not a choice between the baby or the woman, it’s about both.
We have the opportunity to shape this time in history. What will be written about us?
