Advent lessons - stars!

"Star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright..."
The Wise Men, or Magi, asked Herod "where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east ....."
As believers, we may accept the concept of an unusual or exceedingly bright star for the birth of Christ, and take it for granted. We may not think about it too much. We've heard about it for years, and don't really take it apart and look at it.

Not so in the secular world! There are huge discussions, both at this time of year and at other times, about whether or not the star "was real." Is it just a myth? Was it ever actually shining? There are documentaries, youtube videos, panel discussions and more! Over the centuries, several different theories have been proposed. It could definitely have been a single star. It also could have been a multi-star or planetary event orchestrated by God. As Creator, He could easily have made it happen any way He chose!

As someone who has lived most of my life in a rural area, I truly appreciate the many evenings that we place our chairs in the yard or the pasture and settle in for a night of star-gazing. On moonless nights, the sheer number of stars and the clarity that we are blessed with (no smog in the country, and no excess lights, either!) are truly amazing. On several occasions, guests have brought telescopes with them and from our pasture we've spotted Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and many of the constellations. Of course, we're amateurs. Nothing like the Magi, whose lives were devoted to study and contemplation, and whose knowledge of the heavens was immense. I think it's really interesting to delve into their world and figure out what they were thinking as they studied and then as they followed the star......

Ancient astrologers divided the sky into twelve equal divisions and named them after constellations. We all have heard of Taurus, Gemini, Pisces, and the rest.  Pisces is traditionally symbolized by two fish and has long been associated with the Jewish people. Ancient writings even refer to Pisces as the "House of the Hebrews."
Each of the planets had symbolic meanings, too. Jupiter, the largest, was considered a sign of royalty. Saturn, the next in size, was considered to be a sign of protection and prosperity.

Now, as they studied the skies, the Magi would have seen in 7 BC that Jupiter and Saturn passed by each other on three different occasions, within the zodiac block of Pisces. They may have noted it with excitement and then kept looking..... the next thing they would have seen was in 6 BC, when Mars joined Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces. Since Mars is known in several cultures as a sign of war, the Wise Men could have surmised that the coming royal birth, in Palestine, would bring prosperity and bloodshed.
By now, their tractors would have been cranked and they'd be searching the heavens for more clues. They wouldn't have to wait long - in 5 BC, the moon passed close to Jupiter in the sky, while Mars and Saturn were frolicing in the Pisces constellation. I think the Wise Men were packing their bags at this point. (Grin)
The finale is recorded in Chinese records as a star that was visible for more than seventy days. The length of time it was visible suggests it was a brilliant nova (a star that suddenly increases in brightness). The Magi would have assumed this confirmed their studies, and a new king had been born. They jumped on their camels and started traveling, guided by the star.

Please understand me -- I'm NOT saying that this is the gospel truth and for sure and certain it happened this way! Nope.
If the Father had wanted to simply gather a few stars and smoosh them together into an enormously bright one, and place it in the sky right where He wanted it, He could have done so. And maybe He did.
I also believe that if He wanted to orchestrate the heavenly events to announce the birth of His son, He could have done that, as well.

This year, as we see the Christmas decorations, and as we decorate our homes, let's consider the star that led the Wise Men to Jesus. May our response be like that of the Magi - despite the obstacles of traveling to Palestine, they came.  Despite the rarity and expense of the gifts, they gave. And despite the humble surroundings, they worshiped.
May we follow their example this Christmas, and all year through.