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You know, the Bible doesn't say that Jesus was born at night although we always visualize the nativity as an after-dinner event. Luke tells us that the shepherds were watching their flocks by night, and Matthew tells us that the wise men followed a star. But we don't know how much time elapsed between the birth and the angels' visit to the shepherds, and, of course, even in this modern age of air and light pollution, particularly bright stars can still be seen in the daytime (and the wise men didn't get there until later anyway).
I, as well, picture the Nativity as happening at night. I picture all sorts of things: the stable, the animals, the shepherds, and wise men there at the same time, the angels, the Little Drummer Boy, and even a pear tree with some sort of bird in it. None of this is found in the Bible, or even can be arrived at through common sense. But I like it, and here's why:
Night is the period between the previous day and the next one (I know, duh). And like a lot of us I use nighttime to go over what I did or didn't do the previous day, and what I plan to do the following day (whether I actually come through or not). I think of Christmas as a renewal of sorts, an assertion of my plan to live the next year as Christ would have me live it. Am I going to do it? Am I going to live fully as a Christian this year? Well, to be perfectly honest...so far, um, I can't say I ever actually have...but I get another chance each and every year. We all get another chance. I visualize Jesus being born at night because the celebration of his birth heralds a new dawn in my own Christian journey. Another chance to make the world a little bit better than it was the previous year.
But whether Jesus was born at midnight or merely mid-afternoon, I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. "God is not dead nor doth He sleep." Have a festive season, and Peace On Earth!
Dr. Andrew A. Poe, Commissioned Pastor
Moderator, Presbytery of Mackinac
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