Kingdom News

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

This was Abraham Lincoln's opening line at the Gettysburg Address after the battle of Gettysburg. Even though the battle was a victory, the tired, wounded soldiers had lost many friends in battle, and the war was far from over. With a divide, fractured nation hanging on the edge of collapse, Abraham Lincoln wisely had his listeners recall the origin story of America. That our nation was conceived in liberty to bring about equality. There’s a saying that says “start with why.” Why are we doing this? Why are fighting against our own southern countrymen in this bitter and bloody war? For liberty. For equality. For all.

Today on the fourth Sunday of Advent we remember not America’s origin story, but the Kingdom of God’s. Given the state of our world, our church, and even our own lives we might be scratching our head: Why? Why should I keep fighting to