The Christmas Star

If you read Friday’s blog, you know that I can be long-winded at times. I could write even more about today’s topic, but I’m thinking – well, you’ll see.

For the month of December, I’m blogging about various symbols of Christmas, any of the many items which remind us of this blessed time of year.

  God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. (Genesis 1:16 New International Version)

So God gave us the sun by day and the moon by night, but he gave us a multitude of stars.

  He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” (Genesis 15:5 New International Version)

Stars have fascinated us for as long as mankind has been on this earth. The ancient Greeks looked up at the night sky and picked out groups of stars to name, constellations. Astrologers took it a step further and believed that people’s lives could be influenced by the stars they were born under. In general, most of us, today, still look up at the stars and imagine what it’s like “out there”, if there is intelligent life on a distant planet, if Luke Skywalker could ever have cruised out there in his X-wing fighter. And who hasn’t wished on a shooting star.

You all know the story of the wise men who followed a star to find the Baby Jesus. It’s believed that they were astronomers who had been studying the night sky for a long time waiting for the sign that the King had been born. It also took them weeks, possibly months to travel the great distance needed to get to the young Savior.   

  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. (Matthew 2:10 New International Version)

Scientists over the years have had multiple theories on just what this star was. A super nova? A comet? The alignment of several planets causing that unusual bright spot in the sky? There is even evidence that some of these events actually occurred around the time of Jesus’ birth. I still find it surprising that people doubt the existence of God when there is such evidence all around us. 

In any event, it doesn’t matter to me if science can explain the star in the sky at the first Christmas. God put that bright light in the sky not only so that the wise men could find what they were searching for, God put that star up there for all of us to follow. Which is why the Christmas Star continues to shine bright on Christmas.