Reedsburg’s annual Life Chain will be held this Sunday, October 6, at 1:00 pm at the corner of HWY 33 and Cty. Rd H in Reedsburg.
The following area pastors have endorsed the event by agreeing with this statement: “The annual Life Chain is an important and powerful pro-life witness to the Reedsburg community.”
- Richard Johnson – Advent Christian Church (LaValle, WI)
- Michael Lopp – Trinity Baptist Church (Reedsburg, WI)
- Christian McShaffrey – Grace Reformed Church (Reedsburg, WI)
- Terry Woirol – Valton Wesleyan Church (Valton, WI)
- Thomas Monaghan – Sacred Heart Catholic Church (Reedsburg, WI)
First of all, I commend these men for their willingness to agree with Scripture on the sometimes controversial topic of abortion. May God reward them for seeking his approval more than that of mere men.
Secondly, I would challenge the members of these churches to follow their ministers out of the church sanctuary and onto the city sidewalk this Sunday.
Far too much of what we do as Christians is done privately. We pray our private prayers, cast our private votes, and even when praise God and preach his Word in worship, it is behind closed doors and stained glass.
Read the New Testament and see how public the ministry of the early Christians was.
John the Baptist was arrested and beheaded for publicly criticizing a political official (Mark 6:17-19). Peter and John were arrested for causing a public disturbance by preaching (Acts 4:1-4). James was killed by an angry politician (Acts 12:1-2). Paul spent at least five years in prion because the government didn’t know what else to do with him (Acts 16-24).
We live in a land which guarantees our right to engage in public ministry. There is no risk of us suffering any serious persecution for publicly proclaiming the Law of God and Gospel of Christ. So why don’t we ever do it?
Participating in this year’s Life Chain will by no means bring the church back to its early state of influence in this world, but it is a simple and safe place to start. Will you join us?
By Christian McShaffrey