I love decorated Christmas trees during Advent. For me, I have to have a shining, powerful star at the top. When I sing ‘Star over Bethlehem’, I look at this star and imagine the Christmas story with this extraordinary star.

This star has a very special meaning. It suddenly appeared in the sky and alerted the whole world to the birth of the King of Kings, Jesus.

I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.

Numbers 24:17

It is interesting that this star was visible in the sky at exactly the right time. Anyone with a little knowledge of astronomy knows that some stars have already burned up before they can be seen in our evening sky. Many stars are hundreds of light years away from Earth, the Pole Star, for example, is about 430 light years away. 

The fact that God himself was born as a human being in Jesus was therefore not a spontaneous whim of God, but was predetermined to the day. So precisely that God made a new star twinkle in the sky at exactly the right time. That is simply amazing!

And this star was not just visible for a few days, it must have been in the sky for several weeks to attract the attention of the wise men from the distant Orient. They found the star so interesting that they traveled in the direction it pointed them. In the Roman province of Judah, in Israel, they finally found Jesus and his parents.

What impresses you about this shining star around Jesus’ birth?

Applicable Bible text: Matthew 2:1-10