Four score and seven years ago.

Have you ever heard of Edward Everett? Maybe if you're a history buff. I enjoy history a great deal, but can't recall anyone ever talking about him. Edward Everett was the man who gave the main address at the cemetery in Gettysburg. He spoke. The Marine Band played after him. Then, America changed. 

America changed when President Abraham Lincoln gave a short, simply, dedicatory address we now know as the Gettysburg Address. No one speaks of Edward Everett. You can't make it through Elementary School without at least knowing a little of the Gettysburg Address. 

Lincoln was invited to speak at this occasion simply as a formality. That he decided to attend was nice, but he was not the main attraction. The Honorable Edward Everett was the main speaker. Everett's words didn't change the face of a nation though. Let's make a comparison. 

• Everett spoke a wonderful oration for two hours...(2 HOURS!)...rarely, if ever, using notes.
• Lincoln spoke for three minutes. (For the record, the opening prayer was 4 times as long as Lincoln's remarks)

What made the difference? President Lincoln determined to say more with less. So often we want to use more words and flowery language and end up saying less and making less of an impact. Lincoln wanted to say a great deal in the fewest words. His speech was 271 words. A few simple paragraphs; spoken in plain language. In those 271 words Lincoln reshaped how a nation viewed the Constitution, how it viewed its mission, and renewed hope that this nation could recover and thrive to become all the founding fathers imagined:

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.

At the risk of sounding cliche, Jesus was the best at this. Constantly he was telling people short stories and object lessons and challenging their faith, their understanding of God, and their understanding of themselves and their purpose. There was one point in the life of Christ that Jesus used three, simple, words that rocked my life.

When he had received the drink, Jesus said,  “It is finished.”  With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. - John 19:30, NIV

That moment in time needed no lengthy speech, no explanation  In that moment Jesus, on the cross, beaten, crucified, changed not a nation but an eternity. In that moment Christ took on the sin, shame, and guilt of all people for all time. In that moment, my life changed. A door was thrown open that had not been open to me. An invitation to be restored to a right relationship with my Creator. With those three words, "It is finished,"Jesus changed my life and the lives of every person from every nation. His death brings us life. His death has broken the chains of my sin, removed my guilt, and given me a great hope for this life and the life to come. 

I pray you've found that hope. It changes everything. 


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Much of the information on Lincoln's speech came from an article I read from The Atlantic Magazine. You can read the article here. 

The image used is from the Library of Congress. In it, you can see Lincoln, hatless, at the center of a crowd at the orators stage.