Do You See What I See?
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sherifffs Department
Hello, and welcome to another Christmas Edition of the Chaplainfs Corner. Last yearfs December article, gChristmas on the Dog Watch,h started with my musing about a bright star that Ifd see each night. As I write this year, Ifm currently on the day watch, but the star is still fresh in my mind.
What was different about that star? gA star is a star is a star, right?h Heehee, spoken like a true city-slicker that canft see the stars. Well, first off, it seemed larger than the stars around it and somehow it seemed closer than the others. It was very bright and shone with a steady light. (I heard that, wiseguycno, it WASNfT the moon.) That it was in the western sky, I guess, is what helped draw my thoughts towards the Christmas Star and this piece of Christmas carol:
ô Said the night wind to the little lamb,
"Do you see what I see,
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
do you see what I see,
A star, a star, dancing in the night,
With a tail as big as a kite,
With a tail as big as a kite."♫
The Christmas Star is mentioned in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew:
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, gWhere is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.h (nasb)
I want to take a few minutes and look at a few points about this Scripture.
gMagih isnft a term we hear frequently in our society in this day and age. These men were what wefd more likely call scholars. They were astronomers and astrologers. The night sky was their area of expertise, so it would be expected that theyfd notice something unusual. What it was about this star that caught their attention is never mentioned, but something about it signified to them that an event of great importance was about to or had just taken place.
Why didnft others see the star? Presumably it was visible to the ggeneral public,h but then to the casual observer ga star is a star is a star.h Some probably saw the star and said gWow! Now thatfs a star!h and went on about their business. When God tries to get our attention, sadly some just arenft interested.
Did you notice in the Scripture they didnft ask gFor Whom does the star shine?h They asked gWhere is He?h God had settled in their hearts the certainty of what the Star was all about. God had set up a ghoming beacon,h if you will, to guide these men.
One other thing that jumps out at me in this passage of Scripture: generally one pays homage to a king, yet they came to worship this one. Subtle difference in meaning perhaps, but while homage is an action to show honor or respect and can be merely for show, worship is the out-flowing of the heart with love and adoration towards what is being worshipped.
A few verses later, the Scripture records that where the star had been leading west for the whole journey, it now changed location and led them south from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. As they traveled south, the star rose higher in the sky guntil it came and stood over where the Child was.h
We live gout in the countryh where there arenft a lot of ground lights to drown out the stars. As I was walking Mr. Dog here a few minutes ago, I turned out the flashlight and looked up at the night sky. I tried to imagine seeing The Star and I could almost feel the thrill that the Magi must have felt as they came to the place where the star was directly overhead.
How long after Jesusf birth they arrived is debated, but when they arrived doesnft really matter. What matters is that they came to worship Him. They came at personal expense and lengthy travel and discomfort, and yet they presented gifts from heartfelt adoration.
Many, many folks missed that first Christmas for a variety of reasons. In my mindfs eye, I can see the crowded inn not far from where a Baby was being born in a stable. I can sense the hustle, bustle and noise as family and friends visited, shouting to be heard over the hubbub. And in so doing they missed it. Others might well have seen the star and blew it off or simply admired its beauty and went on their way.
The birth of Godfs Son went unnoticed by the majority who missed the meaning, not just the event, as many still do to this day. Christmas is not about Santa Claus and turkey dinner and PlayStation 3. Itfs about the humble birth of an extraordinary Child. Itfs about God intervening in human history. As the Apostle says it was gGod demonstrating His own love toward us.h That gush is you and me.
Yes, this season of the year is a hectic one for us all, both on the job and at home. Itfs my hope that you will be one of those that takes time to hear and take to heart the news that
gtoday in the City of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.h
Wishing you and yours a very blessed Holiday Season, and wefll visit again in 2007.
Chaplain Bill
llanochaps@moment.net
