Week 44 Day 1

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Healing a Wound

Now in Christ Jesus ye who sometime were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace.

Ephesians 2:13–14

“He is our peace”—for by his blood

Sinners are reconcil’d to God;

Sweet harmony is now restor’d,

And man beloved, and God ador’d.

Some in the Union were eager to take vengeance on the South after the war ended. Lincoln, who was not a vengeful person, was concerned. The purpose of the war was to unite, not divide, the country under freedom and justice. So when Union troops held a rally in front of the White House, Lincoln offered a dramatic gesture of benevolence. Lincoln ordered the playing of “Dixie.” “I have always thought ‘Dixie’ one of the best tunes I have ever heard,” he said. Lincoln knew it might be controversial to play the song and even presented the idea to the attorney general before making the decree. The idea was to let the nation know it was not time to take revenge. He knew the vast majority of the nation was ready to heal and would follow his lead. Are you a vengeful person? Or do you seek ways to unify and heal?