Praise and Worship of Jesus

Loutzenhiser's picture


Loutzenhiser's picture

Praise at the birth of my son (2001)

When I look on you this morning I think back to the first time I saw you. Your doctor and
nurses are crowded around your Isolet as you struggle to breath with under developed lungs.
You are so small, only 4 pounds and 18 inches. You don't cry, you whimper then the doctor
slides the breathing tube down your throat into your lungs and we won't hear you cry till
you are 3 weeks old. Behind me doctors and nurses surround your mother, fighting to bring
down her blood pressure. Unknown to us at that time you saved your mothers life. While
doing the emergency C-Section to save your life the doctors discover undetected cancer in
your mother and remove it. The nurses rush you to the neonatal ICU; your mother's arm
reaches out to you as you are wheeled by, your name on her lips.
God sustains us.
For the next week your mother will fight to live suffering a paralyzing stroke, clots breaking
lose from her damaged feet, blood loss requiring transfusion and heart damage. She will-not
see you again or touch you till you are 4 days old. At her first sight of you she will cry. Your
body is pierced by tubes and covered with wires and sensors. Her hand reaches out to you,
shaking and pale. She touches you for the first time and declares your name "My dear little
Semachaih". Her next words reveal her suffering "What have I done to you". She collapses
against me, looking into my eyes and asks, pleading, "Will he live?" In the back of my mind I
remember the doctor's words from our last conference. "You must be prepared Robert. The
health and lives of both your son and wife are very fragile". My answer "Yes Ti he will live".
God sustains us.
The next two months will see you grow and heal with many setbacks as your lungs
continually blow holes into the chest cavity. The scars on your chest are where the tubes
entered your body to suck off the air escaping from your lungs. Another scar on your foot
shows where a tube was inserted into your vein and run up to your heart to feed you. The
inhalator tube enters through your mouth to breath for you. Your mother spent hours sitting
by your Isolet stroking your hand, talking to you, and suffering with you. She reads you
children's bible stories, speaking above the sound of the equipment that surrounds you.
A blindfold covers your eyes to prevent you from going blind from the bright lights that
prevent jaundice. It was 3 weeks after your birth when your mother held you for the first
time. Your inhalator removed, the nurses hand you to her waiting arms. Her smile shined
through her tears as she sat there, your precious body held tight to her. You cooed, opened
your eyes and looked at your mother then.... you smiled. Your mother wept tears of joy.
God sustains us.
Time and again we hear the staff wonder at your strength, your ability to heal but we smile
secure in the arms of God. In your way, with your sweet smile you bring people to hear
about God. Without speaking words, your eyes sparkling as you lay calmly in the arms of
your mother you spread the love and knowledge of God. People come to wonder at your
smile, they stay to wonder at the power of God evidenced in your life. Seven months before
your birth God named you. Today we affirm that name.
Semachiah - God sustains.

The gentle soft word is heard over the shout.
Robert Loutzenhiser, Senior Moderator
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