Lincoln Sunday, February 15 - "To Lay Down One's Life: The Martyrdom of Abraham Lincoln"

This past weekend, we again celebrated Lincoln Sunday at Eastgate.  The service featured music that could have been heard in the era, readings from the King James Version of the Bible, and some prayers taken from prayer books of the time, including some printed for soldiers to carry in the field.

I also preached my annual Lincoln Sermon.  This year is the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.  As such, I considered the meaning of Lincoln's death, especially the almost immediate determination by many that he was a martyr.  I placed this within the context of Jesus' famous statement about martyrdom: "greater love has no one than this -- to lay down one's life for another."

In the sermon, I considered what we should learn, through history and faith, about what is worth dying for -- and what is worth living for.

If you missed the sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording of the sermon here.