Lincoln’s Birthday

 

Gracious and glorious God, whose principles for living have been exemplified by a great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us, this morning we are especially reminded of the historic hero whose birth is remembered this weekend. From the life of this man who became President of our nation and preserver of the Union we can learn so many lessons: the value of working diligently to achieve our goals, the need to try again when we fail, the strength that comes from hope, the immorality of discriminating against another person because of the color of his skin or her station in life. As Abraham Lincoln was called the Great Emancipator, help us not to forget that you, O God, are the greatest emancipator. For when we earnestly seek to follow your intention for us, when we consciously attempt to model our lives after that of Jesus: we are set free from the bondage of sin; we are saved from an existence that has little or no meaning to a life that has purpose and direction; we are delivered from fear and filled with hope; we are given the grace to forget the past, begin again, and keep on becoming. Thank you for standing ready to help us be freed to become more fully human and to actualize more completely the love, compassion, and penchant for serving you and others that wells within us but whose floodgates we need to open wider. May the realization of more of our potential be our goal today and every day that we are privileged to live.  Amen.13 (J. B.)