The transfiguration of the Lord. An important day on the calendar of the church, and one that regularly falls near another important day on the secular calendar of America, the birthday of the man who has been called America’s greatest president, Abraham Lincoln. We have heard the old aphorism about some being born great, some achieving greatness, and some having greatness thrust upon them. Abraham Lincoln can surely lay claim to, at least, the last two of those.

Lincoln has always fascinated me. Many of you as well, no doubt. In fact, he is now seen as so important a figure that one contemporary historian notes that there are currently more books in the English language about Lincoln than about anyone else except Jesus and Shakespeare.[1]

He became our president in 1861 and served throughou…