The Christmas Star
On December 21st, 2020, a rare occurrence in the sky above us can be witnessed by the likes of you and me. NASA calls it the “Great Conjunction” event, wherein Saturn and Jupiter will be so close in alignment that it will appear as a single star in the sky.
This is very significant because the last time this happened was in 1623, 397 years ago. But it wasn’t as visible then, so the last time it was fully observable during nighttime was in 1226. That was 794 years ago.
I wonder what my ultra-great ancestors were doing back then.
This year’s occurrence is dubbed “The Christmas Star.” For many Christians and followers of Jesus around the world such as myself, this conjunction is very significant, especially for it to be occurring around Christmas time…but more on that later.
Christmas is one of the biggest observed traditions in the world. It is especially a huge deal in my native country of the Philippines. As the most predominantly Christian/Catholic country in Asia, Filipinos love Christmas. If you think Christmas songs playing as early as November is jumping the gun too early, that’s actually way too late when it comes to Filipinos. Once the “–ber” months roll in, it’s essentially Christmas season already. (Yes. September.)
Part of my culture’s Christmas traditions is a parol, a colourful decorative lantern ornament that is traditionally made out of bamboo and Japanese paper, which is usually illuminated by candles and oil lamps. Modern parols are constructed with different sturdier materials such as plastic, metal and are illuminated electrically, just like Christmas lights. Parols come in different shapes, colours and sizes, but the most popular shape that it comes with is a star.
The parol’s history goes a long way back. A product of the Spanish colonization, the parol originally came from the Spanish word farol, meaning “lantern”. It was an integral part of the Filipino Christmas traditions as Filipino families would come together and craft their own parols that they would customize with their own flairs and designs. The parol is also is also part of Novena, wherein Christmas prayers and mass is observed for nine days leading up to Christmas day. Many observe Novena processions during this time, where they carry parols during the night time to guide the way. On Christmas eve, many Filipinos head over to church for midnight mass and services, and then they follow it up with Nochebuena, or “the Good Night”, a celebratory midnight feast where friends and families get together to bond and celebrate Christmas. If you’ve been to a Filipino gathering, you know how Filipinos do when it comes to eating.
Disney recently released an animated Christmas short that pays homage to this Filipino tradition:
In the Western side of the world, the Christmas tree is a very significant part of the holidays. Popularly attributed to Martin Luther and the Lutheran movements in 16th century Germany, the Christmas tree is normally an evergreen tree that often came with a star that is placed on its apex, accompanied by candles and various decorative ornaments, such as angels and — in more modern times — Christmas lights. This is often a common sight within households that is always complimented with gifts under the tree. For many children, this is the best time of the year, as they rush towards it on Christmas morning to see what their parents — er — Santa — has gotten them for being nice the whole year.
As you can already tell, what strings these stories together is a star. If you are familiar with the Nativity story, I think it would be safe to assume that you already know the story behind it. If not, then come take a proverbial walk with me as I recall — and meditate — on the reason behind the star.
Christmas is a time when the notion of togetherness, kindness, generosity, and giving is in many of people’s hearts and minds. But many ask the question as to what the true significance of Christmas is. In my younger years, I’ve pondered this myself, and only very recently have I truly learned more about it. This is one of the most important times during the year where I feel the closest to God, as it is a season for me to reflect on the greatest divine gift that has been given to us by God: Jesus Christ. The celebration of Christmas is the commemoration of His virgin birth here on Earth in the ancient Jewish town of Bethlehem. Let’s dig a little deeper.
The Christmas star’s origins goes back into ancient times and hold prophetic meaning. Astrologers at those times see and read the heavens and the stars as a way to follow prophecies. In the times of ancient Israel, the Jewish people were holding on to a prophecy that has been on their watchlist since the beginning of time. This prophecy foretells the birth of a king that will save them from their foreign enemies. I guess you can say, that in modern context, they were waiting for a president or some political leader to lead them to greatness and defeat their enemies at their borders. Jewish biblical books such as the Book of Numbers, Psalms and the book of the prophet Isaiah foretold of this great coming of a king.
But this would be of a much grander event—bigger than a country’s political wishes. This involved humanity as a whole. Past. Present. Future. But as grand of a human event it was, it unfolded in the most humblest of ways.
It would be the birth of Yeshua Hamashiach. Jesus Christ.
Prior to Jesus’ birth, the Jews were under Roman rule. Around the same time lived a young Galilean-Jewish woman by the name of Mariam. She was betrothed to Yosef, a simple carpenter hailing from the town of Nazareth. She was then visited by an angel from heaven and was told that she would bear a son. But this was to be no ordinary birth, as it would be that without sexual relations. This was to be a miraculous birth. This baby boy will be named Yeshua, with its Hebrew meaning “to rescue.” The angel also appeared to Yosef and told him of this as well. This virgin birth is very important to the greater narrative of the story.
Now this was a scary thing for both Mariam and Yosef. Not only is conception impossible without sexual relations, but strict Jewish laws meant that Mariam had to be a virgin before marriage. To be found pregnant outside of marriage meant death for a woman, and disgrace to the man. It was that harsh back in the day. Nonetheless, God reassured them that it will all be well. Sure enough, Mariam became miraculously pregnant, and Yosef stood by her and took care of her, despite the dangers of their situation.
As stated earlier, the Jewish people were under Roman rule, so Caesar Augustus, the Roman emperor of the time, issued a decree that a census be taken of the entire Roman empire. Yosef was from the town of Bethlehem, so he and Mariam had to head back to his hometown in order to follow this Roman decree.
As soon as they got to Bethlehem, Mariam was about to give birth. Yosef tried to look for a place for Mariam, but no one would take them in, due to their lowly status in society. People from Nazareth were looked down upon as low-class citizens, so they were not treated well and were discriminated upon. Because of this, Yosef only managed to find an inn that was willing to let them stay in a stable where the animals stayed. Despite the harsh conditions, Mariam gave birth to Yeshua, whom she wrapped with dirty cloths and laid the baby in a manger — a feeding trough where hay is placed for animals to feed. If you’ve been to a farm or a barn near farm animals, you can only imagine the smell.
Now, one would think that something like the birth of a king would be opulent and grand in nature, yet Yeshua’s birth quietly happened in such a lowly and humble manner. His birth was not proclaimed to kings or the emperor of the Roman empire, but it was proclaimed by angels to simple shepherds nearby.
This is where the Christmas star comes in. In the Gospel of Matthew, a bit after Yeshua’s birth, gentile (non-Jewish) astrologers called Magi (or in some traditions, “wise men” or “kings”) from the foreign east observed a star in the sky, which they decided to follow the direction wherein it pointed. This led them to where the baby Jesus and His earthly parents were. With them they brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
So why is the Christmas star this year so significant?
I am no scientist, astronomer or even a preacher, but this is what I am pondering on during this historical time.
Ever since time immemorial, humanity has been in dire need of help. It’s a given that humanity is imperfect, capable of evil inflicting suffering and is destined for death. But the truth is, God did not mean for humanity to be imperfect and see death. God meant for us to live forever. But when He created us, He gave us free will — the will to choose. God gave humanity the choice to live forever in harmony with Him. Ever since man took a bite out of the fruit knowledge of good and evil, he decided to have no need for God and become “god” himself; to decide what is right and wrong. This leads us to where we as humans are at today.
There has always only been two spiritual forces at play in this world ever since that fateful day in the Garden of Eden. God and His Goodness, and the devil and his evil schemes of dragging man into hell. The world that we live in is ruled by Satan. Just look at our world today. It is so full of evil and suffering. This year has been a testament to that. It is a time in history wherein humanity has never been before.
Humanity is in a dire need of a saviour.
During His first tenure here on Earth, Yeshua — Jesus — Himself said:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal Life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”
— John 3:16–17
Because of man’s self-centredness and hatred for God, humanity is heading straight to hell. But God loves humanity so much that despite man’s hatred towards Him that He sent down His Son to save humanity from that destruction.
The birth of Jesus had to be of virgin birth because He is God and had to be sinless. If he were to have a human father, then the sinful nature of man would be inherited by Him, making him imperfect. His virgin birth also meant he was the perfect, sinless sacrifice for all of humanity and its sins before God. His life meant perfect love…love that our mortal minds can’t comprehend.
The humble nature of Christ’s birth tells us of who He is. The humbleness is what we ought to be towards each other. The spirit of Christmas is to love one another in to be a light in a seriously dark world. Jesus’ birth also marked his ultimate sacrifice. The gold, frankincense and myrrh were gifts that would foretell Jesus’ Kingship here on Earth, His divine nature, and His ultimate sacrificial death on the cross thirty-some years after his birth, as well as his eventual resurrection and defeat of death.
Jesus also promised of His eventual return here on earth to rule and be the King of all nations. No one really knows as to when that would be. He Himself does not know when that is, but only God the Father does. But he left a lot of things to look out for as to when the nearing of His return would be.
Maybe this conjunction could be a telltale sign of His imminent return?
Who knows?
But for now, I just want to live like Jesus, and to love people and be generous to one another. Especially during this tough season.
I mentioned earlier that I feel the closest to God during Christmas. As I walk with Jesus more and more in my life, I just have this yearning to give. I am grateful to God that I am still blessed during this hard season, and so I personally feel like one of God’s will in my life is to bless people. I love to give rather than to receive. Being able to see people’s happiness is enough of a present for me, and the only wish I have is that my giving would inspire those I give to to pay it forward and be a blessing to others.
If you’ve read all this way, I urge you to be generous and to be loving to people. Christmas is a very hard, unhappy and painful time to some. And with these unprecedented times that we are currently living in, it is especially rougher and tougher for many. So many people are going through loneliness, depression, anxiety, poverty and suffering.
Reach out to people you love and care for. Be kind to one another. Do random acts of kindness to strangers. Be understanding and forgiving towards each other.
If you have it in your heart to be kind and generous, perhaps pay for the groceries of the person behind you at the grocery store. Buy the person behind you their coffee at the coffee shop. Reach out to a friend you’ve lost contact with.
This pandemic has hurt a lot of organizations whose sole mission is to provide and help the less fortunate, so if you feel like helping someone out this Christmas, please donate to non-profit organizations such as The Salvation Army , The Haven or your local church. Lord knows how much they need your support this Christmas. People and families are desperate for their help, and with this pandemic, they have taken a harder hit more than ever.
Christmas is all about Jesus, and that means to simply be kind and love one another as God loved us through Jesus His Son.
May you have a blessed Merry Christmas, and a healthy and safe New Year.
If you are one of many who is going through a hard time, please know that Jesus is here for you. I am here for you. You can always send me a message through my email address. If you would like to have a relationship with Jesus, it’s as simple as praying a simple prayer such as:
