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Light

                 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:9-11)

 

            A bit of good exegesis here. The word used for “child” here does not refer to an infant. Herod later ordered the death of all boys age two and under. And when  the Magi showed up, they went to a house not a stable. The wisemen did not arrive the same night as the shepherds. They don’t belong in the nativity scenes.

            On this shortest, darkest day of the year, the real subject of the day is the star and Jesus as the Light of the World. After 9/11, I noticed that a lot of people who don’t usually put up Christmas lights did. In the park where I spend my winters, they have a house decorating contest, so some of the units are lit up and the yards are filled with stuff. When the Canadians couldn’t come down and some Americans decided not to, I felt a real need for lights, and putting them on the inside of my windows meant that they acted as a work light for me. I’ve been working on them for a couple of years now. Someday, may get them right.

            Light is important to us. Yes, I know, it’s the physical difference between life and death for us. Spiritual light, likewise. But it’s not just that. Some people suffer from seasonal affective disorder when the days get short. Maybe more people have it but don’t realize it. Most of us don’t like being “in the dark.”

            I think most of us feel a need for light, and a fear of darkness. So as we prepare for Christmas, perhaps we should feed that need in some way. Maybe we should remind ourselves of the star that shown, and the Light of the World, and the joy, truth, and hope that we so often associate with light.

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