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The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.
- Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863
Did you have to memorize the Gettysburg Address when you studied American History in grade school? I think that somehow I managed to avoid that fate/honor. I have no recollection of having to memorize much of anything. Then again, it is distinctly possible that I have repressed all such memories. Memorization is not a particular strength of mine. I can't sing a single one of those silly Irish pub songs from beginning to end. Ah well.
Today is the anniversary of Lincoln's delivery of the Gettysburg Address. I thought I would post a small line from it for us all. I find the line ironic somehow. An uncle of mine fought at Gettysburg. He was a boy at the time...a standard bearer. Somewhere we have a picture of him and other men who survived the battle . They gathered together at the 50th anniversary. Old men with long white beards hobbled toward one another, lines of North and South divided again. I'm told that they cried and embraced. I'll see if I can't get a copy of that photo made when I go home for Thanksgiving.
I am thinking through the beginnings of the sermon for Sunday. Will it be as brief as the Gettysburg Address? Not likely. But I may take some inspiration from it. "Full measure of devotion" is an incredible turn of phrase. Community Church sets this day aside for a "Walk of Faith." It's time to bring the pledge cards forward. Not that such a day is every as momentous as dedicating a battlefield to the fallen, but such an action is an act of dedication and could bring to mind many other walks of faith.
Here's the lectionary text for the day:
Matthew 25:31-46
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'
Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?'
And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?'
Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
I find it very interesting that neither the righteous or the unrighteous recognized their Lord. It's not about recognition. Also, just for fun, there's a commentary I read that the "least of these" is actually a phrase Matthew uses to describe the followers of Christ. This is perhaps a parable about how those outside of the community following Christ are judged. They are judged not by their belief or their ability to recognize Jesus, but by their treatment of Christians. Interesting.
Here's the Gettysburg Address.
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Be well today.
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