In 1925, the New York World publication celebrated the birthday of Abraham Lincoln with a cartoon that has become something of a classic.  Two Kentucky farmers are pictured talking over a picket fence.  One asks, “Anything new happen lately?”  The other responds, “Nothing much.  A new baby was born over at Tom Lincoln’s place, but nothing much ever happens around here.”[1]

Can you imagine the same thing happening in Bethlehem on the night that Jesus was born?  Can you picture some people standing just outside the Inn?  “Anything new happen around here?”  “Nothing much, just a baby born down in the stable, but nothing much ever happens around here.”

The point of the cartoon in the New York World was clear: the two men had no idea how much Lincoln would impact history.  But what makes the birth—and the life—of Jesus Christ different?  This is the ultimate question for Christians.  Why is Jesus different from Lincoln or from other great figures in history such as Socrates or Gandhi?  Why is Jesus different from the many great saints in history or modern day saints like Mother Theresa or Pope John Paul II?  Why does it even matter to us?  And what does Jesus have to do with us living in holiness?

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