I am not a fan of Christmas, but as I have said before, it is a time which many focus on Christ. On the sights that you see this time of year is the star of Bethlehem. I am not going to get into the science of the star, if indeed there be such a unique event in the skies during that time, but there was a star of some sort which brought the Magi of the East to look for the birth of the King:
Saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.”‘
Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. (Matthew 2:2-10 NKJV)
Augustine, in his second book against Fautus, says,
Christ was not born because the star was there; but the star was there because Christ was born. If there was any fate, it was in the birth, and not in the star. The word fate is derived from a word which means to speak; and since Christ is the Word of God by which all things were spoken before they were, the conjunction of stars is not the fate of Christ, but Christ is the fate of the stars. The same will that made the heavens took our earthly nature. The same power that ruled the stars laid down His life and took it again.
If it is so well thought, we may connect the star over the small town to the star prophesied by Balaam,
“I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult. (Numbers 24:17 NKJV)
We should think, no matter the season – pretended or otherwise – what manner of star it was that called the men from the East. As well, we should think of our own call this season – we are called to come to God, a journey, no doubt that mimics the travels of the wise men. So many assume that nothing is left for us to do except to accept Christ, as He has done the work, yet, we should stand with the Magi, in that we see the star in the East. They traveled, even after Christ had come all this way, to adore Him, to praise Him, and to give of themselves to Him.
We echo John Chrysostom’s words here,
Let Marcion and Paul of Samosata then blush, who will not see what the Magi saw, those progenitors of the Church adoring God in the flesh. That He was truly in the flesh, the swaddling clothes and the stall prove; yet that they worshipped Him not as mere man, but as God, the gifts prove which it was becoming to offer to a God. Let the Jews also be ashamed, seeing the Magi coming before them, and themselves not even earnest to tread in their path.
Let us not be ashamed this season, or any other, to heed the call to worship our Lord and Saviour. Just as had those 2000 years ago, Christ has told us where He is found, if we are wise enough to search for Him.
