Sanctity of Human Life Worship Resources

The third Sunday in January is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. These resources can help your church to honor the day. Synod has encouraged Christian Reformed churches to commemorate the day’s significance (Synod 1981 and Synod 1995). Thrive would like to help churches commemorate the sanctity of human life in ways that are sensitive and mindful of the impact abortion has on society, our churches, and members of our congregations.

We have developed materials to observe the day in a way that we hope affirms the value of every human life--and at all stages of development. We encourage you and other leaders in your congregation to commemorate the day in ways that are sensitive to those in the pews who have been hurt by abortion--both women and men, those who chose abortion and those who had no choice. We hope to avoid rhetoric that wounds or is politically partisan and would encourage you to do the same.

Sanctity of Life Sunday 2027
Free Bulletin Inserts (opens in a new window)

“…you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." - Isaiah 46:3-4 

In Isaiah 46:3-4, God speaks tenderly to his people: “I have made you and I will carry you.” These words paint a picture of God's faithful care that spans the whole of life—from before birth to old age and beyond. What if every human life were viewed through the lens of that promise? Every person, regardless of age, ability, circumstance, or stage of life, is known by God, sustained by God, and worthy of dignity because they bear his image. From the womb to life's final breath, the value of a human life is not determined by independence, productivity, or capacity, but by the faithful love of the God who creates, carries, and cares for each one.

Studies have found the majority of people who seek abortions in Canada and the U.S. tend to be mothers older than 20. Despite above-average levels of education, they live below the poverty line. In the U.S., nearly 2/3 of women who had an abortion report a Christian faith background. The same percentage say they could not afford another child.  

This Sanctity of Life Sunday, we gather to share the holy vision of the divinely purposeful life. Let us consider the ways injustice in many forms forces women and men to make hard choices about ending pregnancies. Let us seek the praises of all God’s children, so; that both the unborn and their parents are not silenced by abortion. Let us bear the practical needs of our sisters and brothers contemplating abortion and bring them before the Lord. Throughout their lives, let their burdens be our burdens.  

Pray for God’s life-sustaining provision for all children.  Lament the incidence of poverty that would force some parents to choose between caring for their born and unborn children.  Ask God’s forgiveness for our collective condition that results in the unborn not having the necessities of life, despite historic economic abundance. Praise God for the praise of children.

Give of your time and resources to poverty alleviation ministries in your area.  Contribute to job-placement and childcare programs that help parents experiencing poverty find meaningful supports.  Check out more resources at http://justice.crcna.org/abortion-resources.

Advocate for workforce equity and debt relief for the poor.  Within your local church, advocate to your Diaconate for benevolence spending and relationship development with people experiencing poverty in the wider community. Consider partnering your church with organizations such as Christians Against Poverty (capamerica.org, capcanada.org) to help people struggling with debt, poverty, and unemployment.

Visual Materials

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday Bulletin Inserts

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday Prayer

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday Slide Image

Worship

  • Statistically, it is highly likely that there are post-abortive women and men in your congregation.
  • Some women were forced to have abortions against their will.
  • Adoption was used as a tool in colonization and can still carry cultural baggage. While adoption is a wonderful option for many, it is not a culturally acceptable option for all women.
  • Many women choose abortion because they truly believe it to be critical to their survival. Economic hardship, lack of family or relational support, and work or educational responsibilities are the top determining factors for women who choose abortion.
  • Abortion has global effects, particularly in terms of gender selection and disability.
  • The CRC is blessed with many passionate advocates for life. If someone will be speaking to your congregation, seek to ensure that passion is tempered with sensitivity to the variety of experiences (like post-abortive men and women, families grieving miscarriages, couples struggling with infertility, women who have released children for adoption, and adoptive parents) represented by the people in your pews.
  • The Monday after Sancity of Human Life Sunday is the day when Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday is honored in the United States. There has been a historical connection between racism and abortion in the United States. Help your congregation connect the dots between the value of every human life and the dream that Dr. King worked to make a reality. 
  • In a September 2005 study on abortion, The Guttmacher Institute found diverse, interrelated reasons for why 1 in 4 U.S. women undergo abortion.  Responsibility to others and resource limitations, such as financial constraints and lack of partner support, are recurring themes. While we tend to assume teens make up the majority of those who seek abortions, most of the women in the study are older than 20 and almost all have at least a high school education. The majority have at least some postsecondary education. Nearly 60% of them have other children and nearly two-thirds report they are Christians. Despite their educational backgrounds, nearly half of the women live below the federal poverty line, living on less than $20k/year for a family of four.  75% report not being able to afford another child.
  • In Canada, at least 52% of those seeking abortion have other children and 98% are older than 18.
  • In his summary on the Christian life, John Calvin writes, ““they should put themselves in the place of him whom they see in need of their assistance, and pity his misfortune as if they felt and bore it, so that a feeling of pity and humanity should incline them to assist him just as they would themselves.” [Excerpt From: John Calvin, Henry Beveridge (Translator). “Institutes of the Christian Religion” (Apple Books)]
  • Matthew 21:15-16: But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”

Responsive Reading - Our World Belongs to God

Litany - Love is Patient

Psalm of Lament for Abortion