Dr. Heath Lambert, the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, recently preached a message on The Prodigal Son.
The heartfelt sermon from Luke 15, which focused on the father’s unconditional love towards the once wayward young man, was shared in conjunction with some candid news about the pastor’s family—Dr. Lambert announced that his young, unmarried daughter was pregnant.
Although the senior pastor would have preferred to keep the information private, “the nature of my ministry means that the consequences of her private sin will be more public than it would be for most young women in her situation.”
In the sermon, Dr. Lambert talked about the disappointment he felt in finding out the news, but also expressed pride in how his daughter and the father of the child expressed repentance and were taking responsibility for the baby going forward. Like the father in The Prodigal Son parable, he found reason to rejoice.
“I hate the sin that got us where we are, but I already see a lot to celebrate,” Dr. Lambert said. “I have celebrated the honesty and humility demonstrated by my daughter. I have celebrated the character and integrity of this young man who has demonstrated courage and conviction that I couldn’t have dreamed of having when I was his age.”
Dr. Lambert also celebrated the gift of life as a sonogram appeared on the screen at the church.
“I want to introduce you to my grandchild,” he said.
“We have a few things in common. At 44 (years old), nobody asked me if I wanted to be a grandpa; Nobody asked (him or her) if they wanted to be alive, but God knew. God’s gift of Life is wonderful and precious. However [the baby] gets here, we are going to celebrate it…I’m going to love this little child…I’m already praying that we are able to lead this precious angel to Jesus Christ and baptize this baby right over there…”
In his message, Dr. Lambert—the author of several books, including The Great Love of God: Encountering God’s Heart for a Hostile World—stressed the reality that no sin was beyond the forgiveness and mercy offered by the Father.
“We all need to learn to live in an atmosphere of Grace… We have to be a Christian family that loves one another, accepts repentant Sinners, and extends the same kind of love and forgiveness that we all have to receive from our father.”
Dr. Lambert said he was approaching the situation by “listening, loving, and trusting.” He was listening to the counsel of close friends and pastors; loving his daughter and his family; and trusting God that all things would work together for good (Rom. 8:28).
Dr. Lambert’s courageous and loving example in the way he is navigating this challenge is an excellent model for churches when it comes to engaging those faced with an unplanned pregnancy. The data reveals that church communities need to do better.
In a blog post, Andrew Wood, Care Net’s Senior Executive Director of Church Engagement, describes how Care Net’s research and other studies corroborate the fact that two out of five women who have had abortions were attending church at least once a month at the time of their first abortion.
“Abortion is a problem in the church, not just “out there,” he said.
“We can’t just delegate this sensitive issue to pregnancy centers when we have men and women considering abortion right in our midst.”
Wood says the church needs to do more than just oppose abortion. The heart of our challenge and calling is to provide alternatives that affirm life in all its complexity and potential.
“We need to learn to speak to the fears and idols of their hearts with compassion, hope, and help,” he said.
Churches would do well to emulate Dr. Lambert’s example of a loving father and his desire for future discipleship in welcoming his grandchild. This is exactly the kind of posture at the heart of Care Net’s Pro Abundant Life movement.