Exodus 20:13
"You shall not murder."
Is there life after delivery & does mother really exist?
In a mother's womb were two babies. One asked the other: "Do you believe in life after delivery?" The other replied, "Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later."
"Nonsense" said the first. "There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?"
The second said, "I don't know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can't understand now." The first replied, "That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded."
The second insisted, "Well I think there is something and maybe it's different than it is here. Maybe we won't need this physical cord anymore."
The first replied, "Nonsense. And moreover if there is life, then why has no one ever come back to tell us? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but drkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us to nowhere."
"Well, I don't know," said the second, "but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us."
The first replied "Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That's laughable. If Mother does exisit then where is She now? Prove it, I will believe you if you prove it. Show her to me!"
The second said, "She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. Without her we wouldn't be here. It is in her that we live and move and have her being. Without her this world could not and would not exist. We would not exist! We didn't just happen by chance,we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Look at us! Now we see her dimly but soon we will see her face to face."
Said the first: "Well I don't see Her, so it is only logical that she doesn't exist."
To which the second replied, "Sometimes, when you're in silence and you focus and you really listen, you can percieve her presence, and you can hear her loving voice, telling us she loves us, calling down to us from above. Telling us she has a place for us.."
Utmutato a Leleknek ~ originally written in Hungarian
"This commandment appears straightforward. I would imagine that ‘You shall not murder’ would appear in most peoples top ten laws for life. A human life is sacred and no-one has the right to take the life of another.
Yet murder is a sad reality. As I write, four murders are being investigated as a consequence of this week’s looting and vandalism in our cities.
It is likely that over 600 homicides will be reported in the UK this year. The figures worldwide are alarming and staggering. What causes one person to take another’s life? What can we do to protect children who are neglected to the point of death?
For God’s people, this command raises challenges about issues as varied as war, capital punishment, abortion, and death caused by economic injustice and environmental abuse etc.
And Jesus demands that we think in terms of our own anger and hateful feelings to others which may not lead to murder but which may be expressed in phrases such as ‘I could kill you’, ‘You’re a waste of space’, ‘It would have been better if you had never been born’. (Matthew 5 v21-22)
As you view the news media make a note of any who have been murdered and pray specifically for their family, friends and communities. Pray also for those responsible for the murder..
Loving God, Creator of life,
you hate bloodshed and love peace.
We pray for all those whose lives have been stolen
by acts of violence, abuse or neglect.
We pray for those who mourn -
wipe away their tears and restore their hope.
We pray for those who protect us from death –
give them wisdom and strength.
Help us to examine the anger in our own hearts - lead us to seek peace and reconciliation.
Take away words and thoughts of hatred –
replace them with love.
In the name of Jesus our healer and transformer.
Amen."
~ Rev Jeremy Allcock, published by Christian Aid 5/10/15
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