The Church’s Call to Repentance: Awakening to the Crisis of Abortion

Good afternoon, brothers and sisters in Christ.

Today, we gather under the weight of a profound spiritual crisis. The date is June 29, 2024, and we are here on the Southington, Connecticut Green, where Christians have come together for a Prayer Vigil organized by Tom and Debbie Berrill. My name is Norman Harold Patterson Jr., and I stand before you today to proclaim God’s truth. My message is not easy, but it is necessary. I pray the Holy Spirit speaks through me, and that His truth pierces our hearts as we consider why America—and the Church itself—is under God’s judgment.

Let us begin with Scripture from Isaiah 1:10-15:

"Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood."

These words pierce my heart, and they should pierce yours as well. Church, the blood of innocent babies is on our hands. For too long, we have looked outward, pointing fingers at the immorality of society—the Pride parades, the abortion clinics, the legislators who write laws that enable evil—but we fail to look inward. We fail to point to ourselves. It is the Church that has grown complacent. It is the Church that has retreated from the public square, believing the lie that we should not be involved in societal issues. This is not just the judgment of God on America; it is the judgment of God on His people.

In Proverbs 31:8-9, we are commanded:

"Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy."

Who is more voiceless, more poor, and more needy than the unborn children being ripped from their mothers’ wombs? They cannot cry out for themselves, but their blood cries out to God for justice. The Church has been silent for too long. Our silence makes us complicit.

I confess to you today that I, too, am guilty. In my past, I used abortive birth control. I did not understand or perhaps did not care to understand the full weight of what I was doing. I sacrificed my own children on the altar of convenience, just as the people of Israel sacrificed their sons and daughters to Molech. As a pastor in the United Methodist Church and later in the Presbyterian Church, I remained silent. I did not stand outside abortion clinics. I did not preach against the holocaust happening in our land. For years, I failed to cry out for the unborn. For years, I was complicit in this evil.

But no more. God has called me to repentance, and I call you to repentance today. We must acknowledge our sin—not just the sin of abortion, but the sin of apathy, the sin of compromise, and the sin of retreating from the battle. It is time for the Church to awaken.

Psalm 106:37-39 reminds us:

"Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions."

America’s idols may not look like those of ancient Canaan, but they are just as real. The idols of self, convenience, and power demand the blood of the unborn. The Church has allowed this idolatry to thrive because we have been unwilling to speak out, to confront sin, and to fight for justice.

Brothers and sisters, incrementalism is not the answer. The pro-life establishment has failed us. They have made deals with the devil, accepting laws that regulate child sacrifice instead of abolishing it altogether. But God’s law is clear: "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13). We cannot compromise with evil. We must demand equal protection for all human beings, from the moment of conception.

Let me share with you a story. Recently, I met an 85-year-old man who has stood outside an abortion clinic in Springfield for 56 years. He stands there five days a week, rain or shine, with a sign that reads, "Thou shalt not kill." He told me that in all those years, not a single pastor has joined him. Church, how can this be? How can we allow one man to stand alone while we remain comfortable in our pews?

We must repent. We must humble ourselves before God. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says:

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Today, I call on each of you to examine your hearts. Where have you been complicit? Where have you remained silent? Where have you failed to act? Repent of your sins, and cry out to God for His mercy. Stand up for the unborn. Speak out against the evil of abortion. Engage in the public square. Do not be afraid to confront sin.

I picture the day when we will stand before the throne of God. The multitudes of unborn children will be there. They will look into our eyes and ask, “Why didn’t you do more?” What will we say to them? Let us not be found guilty of silence and inaction.

Let us close in prayer:

Father God, we come before You today with heavy hearts. We confess our sins of apathy, compromise, and silence. We confess that we have allowed the blood of innocent children to stain our hands. Forgive us, Lord. Cleanse us by the blood of Jesus Christ. Awaken Your Church, Lord. Stir in us a holy zeal to stand for righteousness and justice. Give us the courage to speak out, to act, and to fight for the lives of the unborn. Let today be a turning point, Lord. Let today be the day that Your people rise up and say, ‘No more.’ We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Go forth, Church, and be the light in the darkness. Stand for truth. Stand for life. Stand for the glory of God. Amen.

Norman Harold Patterson Jr

Director of the Connecticut Foundation to Abolish Abortion

You can view the original video here.