One of the most courageous stands of self-sacrifice in the history of our nation is the defense of the Alamo, which is a huge part of the heritage of Texans. Colonel William Barret Travis and his force of less than 200 men had made their stand in what is now Bexar county. General Santa Anna reached their stronghold on February 23, 1836, with an army of 1600 men. The battle of the Alamo was underway. Travis sent out a letter requesting assistance. That letter deserves a place right up there with the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address. It read in part:

“I am besieged by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna. I have sustained a continual Bombardment and cannonade for twenty-four hours and have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken. I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat.”

Travis ends with this unforgettable, triple-underlined vow: “Victory or death.”

His entire force refused to surrender. They elected to stay and fight. The plea for assistance would not be answered in time. Realizing that no help could be expected from the outside and that Santa Anna would soon take the Alamo, Travis addressed his men and told them they were fated to die for the cause of liberty and the freedom of Texas. Their only choice was the manner in which they would make that sacrifice. He gave them three options:

1. Rush the enemy, killing a few but being slaughtered themselves in the hand-to-hand fight with the overpowering Mexican army.
2. Surrender, which would result in their massacre by the Mexicans.
3. Remain in the Alamo and defend it until the last man, thus giving the Texas army more time to form and likewise taking a greater toll among the Mexicans.

The third choice was the one taken by the men. On March 2, 1836, during the siege of the Alamo, Texas independence was declared. Four days later, March 6, that document was signed with the blood shed at the Alamo. The sacrifice of men like Travis, Davy Crockett and James Bowie was not in vain. It was a sacrifice on the altar of liberty.

The battle-cry “Remember the Alamo” spurred on the forces of Sam Houston at San Jacinto six weeks later. On April 21, General Sam Houston led an army of about 800 in a surprise attack against Santa Anna and his 1600 men that afternoon. Shouting, “Remember the Alamo!” the Texas Army killed almost half of Santa Anna’s army while losing only nine men. Texas won the battle of San Jacinto in 18 minutes and secured her independence from Mexico. Texas remained an independent nation for nearly 10 years before becoming a state in 1845.

Remember the Alamo! Absolutely! It should be remembered. But there is something about the Alamo that most people do not remember. We think of it as a military installation. However, it was originally built 100 years before the famous battle with another purpose in mind. It was originally named Misión San Antonio de Valero, and served as home to missionaries and their Indian converts for nearly seventy years. It was a mission of the church. A mission outpost to take the message of Jesus Christ as Savior to the people of Texas. The Gospel message went out from the Alamo long before it was the site of that March Massacre. We should remember the original intent of that place.

Even more important is that we remember what God has said and done. Jesus Christ took a stand against sin and death and the devil. He had sent out His plea for help: “Father, if possible, take this cup from me…” But He would make His stand alone. That valiant stand would be the end. There would be no need for any further battles. When Jesus paid the price for sin with His own perfect life, He said, “It is finished” and it was. The victory was won for us. His sacrifice on the altar of the cross was the last sacrifice necessary for sin.

The anniversary of the battle of the Alamo usually falls during Lent, a time of remembering the Victory we have because of the death of Jesus. For us it is not “Victory or Death.” For us, it is Victory through Death, the death of Jesus! That gives us the victory over sin and death and the devil. Faith claims His victory as your own. And that is something worth remembering.