January 7, 2017

We performed the ceremony for the aborted babies last night. It was a holy night whose meaning was even more poignant being so close to our celebration of Jesus’ birth. Its nearness to the New Year was also purposeful as the children never got to live even for a moment let alone experience a new year.

I began the time with prayer. How can anyone conceive of such a number as 60 million? If a person would say 1 of their names per second it would take almost 2 years to say them all, but they weren’t given names. Praying for all the people I won’t get to know and love or be loved by made me rely on His power, grace, and mercy to even utter anything more than “I’m sorry.”

We then sang Christmas carols for the little ones: Silent Night, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing, both of which hit me profoundly. It was a silent night for them but for different reasons, and the heralding of angels in the face of a pursuing king to prevent such a threat resounded hallowedly and mournfully at the same time.

We read Psalm 142 to honor the plight of those millions. We’ve come to know it as the Psalm for the Aborted. Verse 4 stood out to me as the number of deaths overwhelmed and prevented me from establishing a more personal connection of compassion. I didn’t know them.

After the Scripture reading, we let the kids read the letters they wrote to the babies. They were full of sorrow and joy as they reflected on their death and on the life they now get to have with God in Heaven.

I then read a poem I was given by the author to use during our ceremony. It fulfilled our time, our reflection, our response to all of the loss.

As we prepared to light the tissue paper to commemorate their brief life, my wife opened the trash can which resembled the only casket they were allowed and lit the paper I held in my hand. It burned up so quickly. I held it too long and felt a moment of pain before letting it go. We all watched as the paper fell.

Following this was a moment of silence where we invited everyone to think about the night. I looked closely at the arrangement of beautiful flowers my wife had prepared. The babies would never smell them. Their lives were not taken by an accident, nor was it by a storm or a flood. Tragedies beyond number, only the Lord knows them all.

We then read Psalm 23 to lead our thoughts in giving the children to God. Verse 6 stood out to me as it spoke of the hope we have for them. We then lit a candle to represent this hope, their eternal life with Him.

We closed by singing Joy To The World, and listened to an impromptu song made by my daughter for all the aborted. We then each laid our hands on the trash lid as a farewell and said Hebrews 11:38 together: “The world was not worthy of them.”

I then finished the ceremony in prayer.

The Order of the Ceremony for the Aborted:

-Opening Prayer
-Worship, 2-3 songs
-Reading of Psalm 142
-Time of Confessing and Declaring their life mattered
-Reading of poem: “We Belong To You”, by Megan Engstrom-Bussert
-Lighting of the kleenex tissue- commemorating their brief life
-Time of silence
-Time of Dedication: Reading of Psalm 23- turning the babies over to God
-Lighting of a candle- commemorating their eternal life with Him
-Worship, 1-2 songs
-Closing Scripture- Reading of Hebrews 11:38
“The world was not worthy of them”
-Closing Prayer