Light Advent candles and Christ candle
Sing: Angels We Have Heard on High
Sing: The First Noel
The two largest planets in our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, aligned on Dec. 21 to create what's sometimes referred to as the "Christmas Star." I looked this up on the internet to see if that was truly the same occurrence as at Jesus’ birth. A man named Larson, who is an expert on the biblical Star of Bethlehem, explained what the Magi likely saw was actually different. He says that five astronomical conjunctions took place to form the Bethlehem star. A astronomical conjunction is when one planet passes another and, as seen from earth, they line up.
We now know what these conjunctions meant to these Magi as they would have observed from far away. The conjunctions involved the constellation Leo the Lion, the planet Venus, the planet Jupiter and the star Regulus. To the Babylonians, the lion represented Israel. Venus was motherhood. Jupiter stood for fatherhood or kingship. And Regulus symbolized royalty. If you think of that as a coded message, that means that a grand king had been born in Israel.
Larson used computerized astronomical imaging to recreate the convergence. He said, "Nine months after that first conjunction – nine months – the gestation period of a human. We see Jupiter and Venus come together to form the brightest star anyone had ever seen," Larson said.
I was not surprised to learn that what we saw in our sky a few days ago, was not as magnificent as the actual Bethlehem star. We got to see a glimpse though of what it would have been like. It was like a dim reflection of the Star of Bethlehem. Thinking about that brought 1 Corinthians 13:12 to mind: For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.
When we see Jesus face to face, then we will truly know Him and so many things that we have just a vague understanding about will finally all make sense to us. And things that we can’t understand and seem confusing and even painful to us, will finally make sense to us. Until that time, we can do everything we can though to keep drawing nearer to Jesus and to keep learning more about Him and His word and we can keep trying to understand His ways through the Holy Spirit’s help.
Even if the star conjunction that we saw a few days ago wasn’t the same Star of Bethlehem, I love that this conjunction occurred now, at this Christmas time. I think it was another message from God. And I think it’s message is the same. That a Savior has come to this world. The Christ child who was born over 2000 years ago. Jesus says about Himself in John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
The Star of Bethlehem was pointing it’s light to the true Light of the world. The Light who drives out all darkness. The Light who we can see all truth by. If we follow Jesus, then we have the light of life and we are no longer dwelling in darkness, blinded to truth. There are so many illustrations about Jesus as the Light of the world. Until people come to salvation, their minds are shrouded in darkness. They can’t see clearly. They are walking around as though blind, bumping into everything, stubbing their toes, falling off cliffs. Those of us who have been saved have “the light of life”. And now we have a job to do to share that light with those who are still in darkness so that they too may step into the Light of Jesus.
I’m going to light my candle from the Christ candle. Then I will share it with one of you, then you share your light with the next person, until we have our candles lit. This is how we share the Gospel message- one person to the next.
Hand out candles and light them
Sing: Silent Night
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