Christmas has always been a time of mystery and wonder for me. Ever since I was a small boy the story of the miraculous star in a dark cold night projecting where the Savior of all had come to us held a particular mystic place in my heart and imagination. Could it have really been real? If so, what was it? A supernova, just a bright star, or something else even more meaningful? Could you have actually followed it to where a small child lay in a manger? How did it occur just at the right time?
I often pictured myself as the shepherds or the wise men in a world vastly different from our own, with no light pollution hazing our sight at the vast and endless array of a night sky brimming with awesome wonder. Could these people and events in the Bible line up with what was actually happening in the night sky, could there be more that we are missing in the celestial canvas?
So this is how I decided to perceive these great tales in my soul: that God, the great storyteller, the great artist, the great conductor of the sky and stars, had planned, orchestrated, and painted a cosmic dance so enthralling that it moved our greatest thinkers and humblest workers to wonder, travel, and seek out, both then and now, just what this majestic mystery was.
Then, in college, my imagination's perceptions were given proof and form. An ordinary man, with the same deep curiosity of the star and its history as I, put together an extraordinary presentation on the great story that had been woven for us to discover. You can get it just about anywhere, here it is on amazon, but I promise it is well worth the rental or purchase. I watch it at least once a year and am still blown away by its truth and message. This is the trailer, and you can see the full documentary on YouTube as well if you want to view it that way.
This is my blessing to you this Christmas: that you would continue to come to this day, it's meaning, it's Savior, with childlike curiosity once more to rediscover the wonder and mystery that captivates our thoughts, heart, and spirit every year. May this mystical star stir your soul to reach out and seek as many have done before; to find out what happened so many years ago that first Christmas season and find the beautiful design of the Christ Savior He gave to us all.
