“For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle the ox
while he is threshing.” God is not concerned about oxen, is He? Or is He
speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the
plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing
the crops” (1 Corinthians 9:9-10).

Continue in hope. The world will
go the way the world will go. The generations will come and go until the final
day. Live in the hope you have been given through the salvation which is yours
in Christ. Know that in Him you have the eternal hope of salvation. Know that
all things must come to pass according to the will of the Father. So continue
in the hope that you have been given.

Lord, teach me not to be tossed about by the winds of this age. Things
come and bad things happen and I am told this must mean something. Let me
instead focus upon the life You have given me that I may abide in You and You
in me, learning to become like Christ. Help me through those times where I feel
the pressure of this world to hold fast to the hope You have already given.

Lord Jesus, You have taught us to
not be anxious for tomorrow. Teach me to live this day You have given me that I
may do what is pleasing in the Father’s sight. Guide me according to Your
never-failing principles to simply live the life You have given and live into
the life You give by grace. Guide me, O Lord, in the everlasting way of truth
that I may humbly abide in You. Amen.

Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a
vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not
use the milk of the flock? I am not speaking these things according to human
judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things?” (1 Corinthians
9:7-8)

There is equatability that we
ought, at times expect. The worker is due his wages. But there are times when
we think others ought to do just because we think they ought to do it. Jesus
died for our sins, but that does not mean we ought to treat forgiveness as
something free and of little worth. Measure in your mind your attitude and seek
to be equitable as you desire for yourself due compensations.

Lord, teach me the balance in life that You have put into place. Guide
me to see that what I expect of others should be no more nor less than I would
expect of myself in similar circumstances. Help me to see that only in You am I
able to do these things. Lead me in the way that is not right in my eyes, but
in Your eyes. Help me to truly become like Jesus.

Lord Jesus, You know all that is
needed. You know where I fall short. Guide me, O Lord, that I may now and
always learn from You how to treat others as I want to be treated. Teach me
true honesty that I would treat all others with respect. Guide me according to
all things that are pleasing in the Father’s sight. May I continue to learn to
be like You at all times and in all circumstances. Amen.

“Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the
rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or do only
Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working?” (1 Corinthians 9:5-6)

We each have the
responsibilities and obligations that we have, each according to the call the
Lord has given. There has always been this sense that it must be this way or
that and if something does not align with our sensibilities, we think it
therefor ought to be different. Be guided by the way of the Lord and not by
what you think it ought to be in your mind, and in all things with grace.

Lord, teach me the way of grace. I do have my ideas and want things to
be conformed according to the way I think these things ought to be. Lead me O
Lord that I may not be guided by what seems right in my mind, but by what is
pleasing in Your sight. Teach me the difference where there is conflict. May I
be guided by Your eternal principles and what is according to Your will.

Lord Jesus, You taught us to continually go to the Father in prayer. Help me to become one who prays without ceasing. Help me to be guided by the eternal truth You have revealed for all. In Your example, guide me to live with charity for others and a strong conviction where I am doing what You have asked me to do. Through all things, help me to always have grace for others as You have given grace to me. Amen.

“My defense to those who examine me is this: Do we not have a right to
eat and drink?” (1 Corinthians 9:3-4).

Humanity is critical. We
criticize one another over all kinds of things. Does not each person have the
right to certain things? This is an age old question that begins with the
simple premise that if you feel you ought to have it, then so should your
neighbor. Come then and see that all are created in God’s image and have a right
to access the grace that is given for all. To each is given according to the
grace given.

Lord, let me not stop and think only in terms of this time and place,
but in terms of the eternal truth which You have given to all. Guide me in the
way of truth that I may now and always abide in the love You have given to all
knowing that only in You will we find peace and equity. Lead me in the way of
truth and understanding that I may abide in Your eternal presence.

Lord Jesus, You have come that we
may have life and have it abundantly. Guide me, O Lord, in the way You have
established that I may learn how to obey all that You have commanded. Help me
to always see that only in the salvation You provide will I be guided by those
principles which are eternal. Help me give grace as I have received it, knowing
that in You alone is all hope. Amen.

“Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?
Are you not my work in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I
am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord” (1 Corinthians
9:1-2).

Has not the Lord chosen one who
was used to speak to you? If you will not listen to them, why do you say you
will listen to the Lord? Pride is what brought down Lucifer. Pride will bring
down every person who lifts themselves up. Why do you cling to that which
destroys when the Gospel of life is given you that You may have an abundant
life? Cling to the Lord, not your pride.

Lord, I am free in you. Not free from the circumstances in this age, but free from sin, death and the devil. Help me to live in this freedom by teaching me how to live in liberty by being responsible where I am able. Guide me in the eternal way that I would flee from all immoralities and seek what is best for others and myself according to Your Word. Lead me in the way of salvation.Jesus, Your name means salvation. You have come to lead the way for as many as would follow You. Lead me now and always in the way of truth that I would not flee from You, but from all others that would tempt me to go astray. Help me now and always to see that in You alone is the hope for all ages. You have come that we may have life and have it abundantly. Help me to live the abundant life that You give. Amen.

“For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for
whose sake Christ died. And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding
their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food
causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not
cause my brother to stumble” (1 Corinthians 8:11-12).

The place for the knowledge we
gain is maturity not superiority. Many fall into the temptation of pride and so
destroy the possibility of their brother or sister living a life of faith. One
who becomes like Christ has compassion for all. Christ did not demonstrate
superiority, but compassion, and reached out to all. We ought to do the same. What
is it you give up when you give up for another?

 Lord, teach me that this world is fleeting and the things I know are gifts from You. Guide me in a way of life that does not look at things for gain, but looks at things as a part of the whole of Your creation. When it comes to others, grant that I would learn compassion and mercy. Help me to see in others that which others saw in me to give me the opportunity to know You.

Lord Jesus, You have shown us how
to have compassion for those around us. You have shown me mercy and grace and
have taught me to do likewise. Guide me, Lord. this day to see differently
where I have been crass or uncaring. Grant me the ability to focus upon the
better portion knowing that only in You is there hope and a future. Let me share
the same with others. Amen.

Editor’s Note: Pastor Cathy Ammlung is a pastor in the North American Lutheran Church and serves as Secretary of the Board of Lutheran CORE. She has earned a master’s degree in Chemistry and two master’s degrees in Theology.

I normally don’t share stuff about my political or religious views, aside from occasionally posting one of my sermons. That’s because I don’t usually like reading other people’s stuff on those topics. I confess, I generally click “hide this post.” Keeps my relationships with many folks more cordial because I’m not tempted to get in a war of words that would probably not change anyone’s mind but undoubtedly would harden someone’s heart.

I don’t want to inflict my views on other people, and would rather talk one on one about such topics. But I’m breaking my own rules today. I promise to not get judgy. Still, if you want to unfriend me because I was at the March for Life, go ahead. I get it.

This was the first time I’ve ever been in any march. I hate crowds! But this was a remarkably peaceful, polite, joyous crowd. White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Mideastern. Many religious groups. Bikers in badass leather. Guys in dreadlocks. A fellow dressed in a weird Uncle Sam outfit, riding a sort of skateboard with a big center wheel, waving a “Shred for Life” banner. Don’t ask!! Knights of Columbus with thunderous drummers, and a group of Evangelicals with bagpipes, trumpets, and fifes. An astonishing number of young people, and scads of young nuns, young priests, young monks. Folks in wheelchairs, on crutches, with canes, in casts. Me, I was part of the North American Lutheran Church contingent. It was an uplifting and thought provoking experience.

What really got to me, and I suppose why I decided to post something, were a few of the very personal posters and comments. A young man with a photo of himself as a very premature baby in a NICU, with the words, “This is what ‘late term’ looks like.” Someone who said, “The doctor urged an abortion when my mom was pregnant, saying I wouldn’t live 24 hours. She chose life.” Women who deeply regretted having an abortion, standing quietly in front of the Supreme Court – next to women quietly holding up “keep abortion legal” posters. Men mourning the death of children they would have loved, but whose partners aborted the child. One of those men openly weeping when some prayers for the sanctity of life that I’d written were read in his church, grateful that someone offered a word of compassion for him and his girlfriend.

And it struck me: if I’d been conceived in 1973 instead of 1953, I might have been a statistic instead of a participant. My birth parents were married when I was born. Can you imagine the gossip if a *married* couple back then, obviously expecting a child, gave up that child – and not to a sympathetic relative but to an agency? How much less awkward, inconvenient, even shameful, if they’d surreptitiously had an abortion and claimed a miscarriage. Seeing those profoundly personal signs, hearing multitudes of personal stories, thinking about my own existence, drove home a point.

This isn’t an agenda or slogan. It’s not a political stunt or legal diktat. This is about real human beings, yes maybe even including me, who would not have even existed except they were not aborted. It’s about real people in the midst of scary, difficult, even tragic circumstances, heroically or maybe even inadvertently being truly “pro-choice.” They chose an innocent child’s right to life above their right to assert their own legitimate desires, hopes, and fears. It’s about committing our lives, time, and efforts into supporting, encouraging, and aiding women and men to make that brave, hard choice even when the culture shouts and celebrates the opposite.

Enough. Here is the prayer that I wrote.

Gracious Father, through you all parenthood is blessed. You were pleased to incarnate your Son through the consent and the flesh of a woman, the Virgin Mary. You entrusted the care of the holy Child to his foster father, St. Joseph. Bless, protect, guide, and strengthen all parents – biological, adoptive, and foster. Especially when parenting is difficult, give them joy and satisfaction in their holy task. Grant them a double portion of your Spirit, so that their children may flourish in faith toward you, in honor toward their parents, and in love for all your children.

We pray for those who struggle to have children and cannot. We pray for those who have lost a child they deeply loved.

We pray for those who struggle to love their children even when that is desperately difficult. We pray for those who do not want the child they have conceived or borne. Have mercy on them all. They face such terrible demons of grief, shame, regret, fear, and anger. Often, we can only stand and weep with them, and pray for them. Help us to do those things, and to walk with them through their dark valleys. Help us to share our confidence that you will lead them safely through.

Have mercy on women who seek, or who have endured, an abortion – and upon the father of their unborn child. As you visited Joseph in a dream, touch their spirits with your presence. Help them understand your love for them, and their unborn child. Where forgiveness is needed, grant it freely and lavishly. Help them to turn to you. Give them the strength to choose life, not death, if they are pregnant. Give them the grace to repent, to forgive themselves and each other, and to be healed in body and soul, if they have already had an abortion.

There are so many “disposable people,” dear Lord! They range from the unborn, to the handicapped, to refugees and immigrants, to the frail elderly, to our personal and corporate foes, to people whose lives seem so “out of bounds” that we can’t really comprehend, much less respond to them helpfully or graciously. Loving, respecting, and caring for “disposable people” is so hard! We can feel overwhelmed, angry, frustrated, cheated, or hopeless. And we’re ashamed even to admit that sometimes even we wish they’d just go away. Forgive us, dear Lord. Give us grace to see them through Jesus’ eyes: as people he loves so much that he gave his life for them. Give us grace to see his presence in them. Give us grace to share even a cup of cold water with them, for Christ has claimed them as his sisters and brothers.

We pray for everyone who cares for the most vulnerable people in our midst. Their work is often hard and usually under-appreciated. Thank you for their goodness and dedication. Deepen their compassion, integrity, and wisdom. Protect and strengthen them when others want them to act against their faith, their principles, and their dedication to cherish life and promote genuine well-being.

Father, there are many who think that humanity is a matter of achievement. If someone isn’t smart enough, healthy enough, independent enough, or even wanted enough, they don’t “deserve” to be treated as fully human persons. Don’t let us fall into that horrible mindset. Give us the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and fear of the Lord, and joy in your presence – not just for our own good, but so that we are equipped to combat those sinful and death-filled notions. Help us to share, in word and by example, what you have always revealed: that we are persons because you have made us in your divine image. No matter how distorted or disabled or debased that image has become through accident, malice or the cussedness of the universe, help us all to see, acknowledge, and pray for that image to be perfectly restored in Christ Jesus our Savior.

“But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a
stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, who have knowledge,
dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be
strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols?” (1 Corinthians 8:9-10)

The summation of the law which Jesus gave rules in the freedom we have in Christ. Love your neighbor such that though you know such things do not matter, you are sensitive to them who think these things do matter. It is not a matter of right and wrong, but of love. One who loves the other does what they may for the sake of the other. It is upon this that God builds His kingdom.

Lord, grant that I would become discerning and see that in the truth
You have already revealed I have both freedom and obligations. Teach me to be
sensitive to my neighbor, loving them enough to be constrained with my freedom
for their sake. Grant wisdom to not live by some newly formed law, but by love
that I may now and always live in Your grace and will.

Lord Jesus, in the contrasts of the life You lived, help me to see more clearly the balance You demonstrated. You were always aware that the disciples were watching and You led them that in time and with Your Spirit they matured and became Your witnesses. Help me to do the same and live life in freedom, but with sensitivity to my neighbor that I may also be Your witness. Amen.

“However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to
the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their
conscience being weak is defiled. But food will not commend us to God; we are
neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat” (1 Corinthians
8:7-8).

It is not what we do on the
outside that means anything. Some stumble because their piety seems more
important than what is driving that piety. Do not be driven by what you think
or your actions, but by the One who has created you. Yes, when you do good this
is right, but doing right is from what has happened because of grace. Live in
the freedom the Lord gives in faith.

Lord, there is a time and place to think and do, but help me see that no
matter what I do it is You alone who enables me to do good. Help me to mature
so that I am not caught up in the elemental things without realizing that it
must be You above all things. Lead me in faith to come to that place where I
look to You as the source of all that I am. Guide me in this upward call now
and forever.

Lord Jesus, You have given us the
example of the godly life. Lead me to be faithful knowing that faith itself is
a gift You give. Guide me according to Your goodness to know that in You alone
is the hope that I may not become caught up in some kind of works-righteousness
way of living. You have freed me by grace to be forever Yours. Lead me in this
call You have given me. Amen.

“For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as
indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the
Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus
Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him” (1 Corinthians
8:5-6).

Even though the world offers all
kinds of ideas and ideals, focus upon the True and One God who is the Creator
of all. Do not worry about all the offers out there. Come to the Lord and let
Him guide you through life amidst the myriad thoughts that float around. It is
not to figure out, but to taste and see that the Lord alone is good and
gracious. All things exist through Him.

Lord, I am easily distracted and chase this way and that. Help me O
Lord to see that in You alone is the hope of all ages. Guide me through the
noise of this world to see that only in You do I find the hope and salvation
that is true for all times and in all places. Lead me now and always in the way
of truth that I would know that You are the One through whom and in whom are
all things.

Lead me Lord Jesus in the way of
truth. You have come to reveal truth and lead those who follow in the way
established before the foundation of the world was laid. Guide me, O Lord, in
that way You know I need to go that I may live as one who has faith. Help me
through the struggles and save me from this world of insanity. Guide me in the
way of true faith that I may abide in You. Amen.