Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the
reign of King Herod. About that time
some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where
is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw
his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
And the star they had seen in the east guided
them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them
and stopped over the place where the child was. When they
saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the
house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and
worshiped him. Then they opened their
treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:1-2, 9b-11
Last night was the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and darkest night of
the year. Ironically, it was also the
time of the brightest guiding light since March of AD 1226, when planets
Jupiter and Saturn visibly aligned to form a “Christmas Star”. The scientific or astronomical name for this
rare event is a planetary conjunction.[1]
According to some sources it was this event that led the wise men from the
East to Bethlehem. I shared some thoughts
of this on Sunday with our churches. In an
informal discussion a friend suggested the star that led the wisemen was
probably a one-time, God-created movement in the heavens. I can’t say I disagree; whatever movement
occurs in the heavens is a matter of God’s handiwork.
Whether the Saturn-Jupiter conjunction is some sort of Godly-prelude to a
special event, I cannot say. But one
thing is certain; this event gives us a marvelous opportunity to gather with
others out under the dark solstice skies and contemplate God’s wonderful gift
of reminders.
As the crosses in our sanctuaries, or the ones we wear as jewelry are not
the cross upon which Jesus died, and a hole you dig to plant a tree is not the
borrowed tomb from which the Lord rose on Easter morning, and every cloud in
the skies is not the one which the Lord said would accompany His next
appearance, all of these, and everything in God’s creation,
is most certainly an opportunity to remember and be thankful.
For You Today
I do hope you will not miss the
opportunity between now and Christmas night to spend a few minutes seeing this
bright planetary conjunction display.[2] Read Matthew 2:1-11, and imagine you’re
getting closer to the manger. Have a
moment of joy in remembering our Lord’s birth.
Sing “Joy to the World; the Lord has come”.
And, as you do any (or all) of those
suggestions, treasure the moments when the gifts you open, events you must
attend, and decorations you hung are the farthest things from your mind.
Let’s let the Psalmist have the last
word today:
The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. Psalm 19:1-4
Title image via Pixabay.com W Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
For other posts on Christmas see: The Kiss of Righteousness and Peace
and The Fullness of Time
[2]
The best time is an hour after sunset (around 6pm) with an unobstructed view
like a park or playground, looking Southwest.
