After the bloody conflict at Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln briefly addressed the crowd gathered for the memorial service honoring those who had fallen in battle. He urged his listeners to recognize their obligation to complete “the great task” for which so many had given “the last full measure of devotion.” In his stirring conclusion, Lincoln said: “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.” This great President understood that if his supporters became discouraged and forsook their goal of restoring the Union, the thousands of soldiers who sacrificed themselves would have died for nothing.

      If the death of Union soldiers demanded a response from the nation, what obligation did the death of Jesus place upon us? Paul’s opponents in Corinth criticized him for failing to present his messages with the rhetorical flourishes characteristic of first century oratory. But the apostle had no interest in preaching the Gospel in a pompous manner. “Brethren,” he wrote, “I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:1-2). The cross of Christ was the centerpiece of Paul’s preaching. But why? The Lord’s death was a powerful appeal for action.

      The violent death of Jesus forces me to consider whether, in my case, he died in vain. Has his selfless love become evident in my attitude? Has his unspeakable sacrifice stirred me to give time and money to God’s work? Has his deep concern for the lost translated itself into earnest soul-winning effort? Has his “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34) motivated me to forgive those who wound me? Paul said that Jesus “died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Cor. 5:15).