I was five years old and in Kindergarten at St. Paul/First English Lutheran school in New Orleans, Louisiana. My father was pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in that city. I have no particular memories of this day. But it was a day of tragedy as the 35^th president of the United States was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963.

In the summer of 1966, my family moved to Dallas as my dad began serving Our Redeemer Lutheran Church there. He stayed there until he retired. I did most of my growing up in Dallas. I remember going to Concordia Teacher’s College in Seward, Nebraska in the fall of 1978 to begin my junior year of college. I was assigned a roommate from Milwaukee. When he found out I was from Dallas, the first thing he said was, “You killed Kennedy!”

I remember thinking that was a terrible way to identify people from a city. And it was underserved as far as I was concerned. I didn’t even live there when it happened. But it did happen in the city where I lived for 10 years of my young life.

I wonder if that was how the people of Jerusalem felt when Peter addressed them on Pentecost.

Acts 2:22–23 “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

Some of those listening might have thought, “I wasn’t even here then! How is this my fault.” And they might seem justified in having that reaction. They didn’t want to be known as “killers.”

Yet Scripture tells us that the death of Jesus was for everyone. That means it was to pay for the sins of everyone. Even those who didn’t know about it. Even those who have not heard or believed. Jesus died for all.

We all had a part in His death because we all sin and needed rescue.

In the 2004 movie “The Passion of the Christ,” director Mel Gibson had a brief cameo in the film. At least his hand did. It was Gibson’s hand holding the nail that would be driven through Jesus to put him on the cross. He said, “It was me that put him on the cross. It was my sins” that put him there.

That is the attitude we all need about the death of Jesus. It reminds us how intensely personal our salvation is. We can each say confidently, “Jesus died for me!”