Want Advent emails delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up here!
Readings: Isaiah 9:2; 6-7 + Matthew 2:1-12
If you’ve been watching or reading the news, I’m sure you’ve heard about the upcoming ‘Christmas Star.’
This evening, Jupiter and Saturn are coming together in what scientists call a “great conjunction.” From Earth, the two planets’ paths appear to overlap, forming one big, bright star in the sky.
The event has been dubbed the “Christmas Star” because of its closeness to Christmas.
Scientists guess the last time this event happened was in 1623, but the sun obstructed any star-gazers’ view. The last time humans witnessed these two planets this close together was in 1226.
Some scientists even speculate that the Magi followed a similar meeting of the planets.
I’ve always had an affinity for the night sky. Growing up surrounded by trees instead of houses, the stars only ever hid behind the clouds. In college, I brought friends up to my parents’ house to lay in the grass and watch for meteors.
Although I generally dislike the darkness, I love tilting my head up to look at the sky.
When I heard about the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, I knew I wanted to see it. So, I ventured out at the end of last week, looking for a prime viewing spot.
Articles about the phenomena were vague – look to the southwest, just above the horizon, not long after sunset.
With a mountain range to our southwest, I worried the star wouldn’t be high enough to see.
As it turns out, last week I viewed the planets quite clearly from the end of our road. Hopefully, we can watch these two distant bodies meld into one point of light from many places near our house.
I didn’t need to be afraid I would miss out. The stars, at least on this night, are higher than I expected. The event is for everybody.
I still went out to my planned viewing spot, and as expected, the view was beautiful. From where I stood, I could see the buildings of the city and watch as trains, cars, and trucks moved from place to place.
As I watched, the world continued, and I wondered how many people knew about this cosmic rarity. If they had heard about it, did they know you could watch for days before and after as the planets move closer together, at first, and then farther away?
Did they stop to look up?
I imagine most people aren’t stopping their busy lives to tilt their head up to the night sky. As I stood in the cold, bouncing up and down on my toes to keep warm, I realized – most people didn’t stop their busy lives for the arrival of Jesus either.
People talked about his birth for years. It was the stuff of legend, a hopeful thing to look forward to without really expecting it to happen in your lifetime.
But on the day Jesus was born, people still went to work. They still cooked dinner and soothed babies. Families fought and made up.
The world kept turning.
But the moment of Jesus’s birth, there was a distinct before and after. Before, the world was lost, without a Messiah. Afterward, everything changed. And most of the world was none the wiser.
I think it’s fitting Jupiter and Saturn are planning their meeting on December 21, traditionally thought of as the darkest day of the year. It’s the winter solstice. In the before, the days are getting darker and shorter.
But after, we begin moving towards the light.
It’s only in the dark that we can appreciate the light. And, as it turns out, we can see the light from almost anywhere we stand. It’s high enough in the sky for all of us.
The light came at just the right time. We only need to look for it.
Journal Prompt: Go outside tonight and look for the Christmas Star. Journal about what you see. When was the last time you looked up? What are we missing in our busyness?
