During his presidency, Abraham Lincoln regularly attended worship services at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. The pastor was Dr. Phineas Gurley. One particular evening, while walking home from church, an aide asked President Lincoln about Dr. Gurley's sermon.

The President replied in fragmented phrases: 'The content was excellent, he delivered it with eloquence, he had put work into the message…'

'Then you thought it was a great sermon?' asked the aide.

'No,' replied the President.

'Dr. Gurley forgot the most important ingredient. He forgot to ask us to do something great!'

HOMILETICS, AMJ 92, p. 46.