By Ruth Menge
Have you ever participated in a Life Chain? To be honest, I had to push myself to go this year. It was cold, and it would have been so much easier to stay home. But pastor recently preached that faith without works is dead, and it is one way to “speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
So Alan and I joined the many others at Washtenaw and Huron on Sunday afternoon. What a diverse group it was: young and old, singles, couples, families with babies in strollers, women with “I regret my abortion” signs nobly trying to warn others to not make the same mistake, teens in tee shirts while the rest of us wore caps and jackets. From the sign bin, Alan chose a “Jesus Forgives and Heals” sign, while I picked “Adoption, The Loving Option;” and we joined the rest on the busy street corner. If the people in the chain were diverse, there was no less variety in the motorists. Many smiled and gave us a ‘thumbs up’, some tried to avoid looking at us, some thoughtfully read the signs.
One man rolled down the back seat window where a young Asian child in a car seat peered out at us. At first I thought he rolled it down to let her see the activity. But when he called out, “I’m with you” as he drove past and he was Caucasian, I wondered if he was showing us that he had made the loving option…adoption.
Somehow the mood seemed a bit more quiet this year. Certainly, people were friendly, and we met new friends as well as old, but the purpose of Life Chain is prayer and peaceful witness: and that is what we did. The back of the signs has helpful prayer suggestions: for God’s sovereignty, for hearts and minds to be touched, for God’s forgiveness and help in ending abortion, for His will in our government and courts… There was enough time to pray through the dozen prayer suggestions, and then quietly sing some of the hymns.
As we left, there was a sense of gratitude for God’s blessing. Was it joining so many other community people; was it the adoptive father driving past at precisely the right time; was it the focused prayer and singing “Holy, Holy, Holy?”
Maybe it was a combination or maybe something else, but one thing I knew: getting out of my comfort zone was well worth the effort. Thanks to Life Chain for providing the opportunity and praise to God for His gift of life.
Join us for this year’s Life Chain.
Sunday, Oct 2 2-3:30 p.m.
The Intersection of Washtenaw Ave & Huron Parkway
Ann Arbor, Michigan
If you would like to be a part of a peaceful, prayerful, legal, family friendly, nationwide PRO-LIFE demonstration go to nationallifechain.org
Please remember our purpose is prayer and not to campaign for any political candidate!
