I grew up in the small oil town of Taft, CA. The people are primarily hard working oilfield employees, who wear their conservative values proudly, as well as educators from the school district and local college. It was a great place to grow up.
When I was a kid, family activities consisted of Friday night high school football games, Saturday night college football games, and occasional trips to the Fox theater for a double-feature with cartoons as a segue between the movies. On Saturday afternoons my family often drove to Valle Vista, a park in the mountains located about 30 miles away. The park was mostly dirt and filled with large oak trees growing in the dry ground. There was no running water and the restroom facilities were, well, rustic. The park was a great place for picnics and possessed a spectacular view of the San Joaquin Valley as we gazed to the north. We would meet with friends and family for a picnic followed by softball games, tag, and hide-and-seek.
In the early evening, we loved to look up and view the contrails of the jets as they flew toward Los Angeles, their white parallel streaks painting stripes across the amber sky. As darkness enveloped us, we would lean back and search the sky for falling stars, planets, satellites, and a few suspected UFO’s. One of our family friends taught astronomy at the college. His family would join us, along with his powerful telescope, for many of these outings. We gazed with wonder at the detail of the moon and planets through the lens of the telescope and enjoyed a close up view of the constellations hanging from heaven in the night sky.
In the news lately there has been talk of the “Christmas Star” making an appearance for the first time in 800 years. The so-called “Christmas Star” is the confluence of Jupiter and Saturn as their orbits bring them close to earth. Although this confluence will likely result in the form of a bright star, it’s not the same star that made an appearance to signify the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. I can only imagine the brilliance of that star!
My favorite Christmas hymn is “There’s a Song in the Air.” It is based on Luke 2:7 and was titled “Christmas Poem” when it was penned by American poet and novelist Josiah Holland in 1872. In 1904 Karl Harrington discovered the poem and wrote the music to it for inclusion in a new hymnal. I love how the song uses the star to enlighten us with the imagery of the birth of Jesus.
And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. – Luke 2:7 (NKJV)
There’s a Song in the Air
There’s a song in the air! There’s a star in the sky!
There’s a mother’s deep prayer and a baby’s low cry!
And the star rains its fire while the beautiful sing,
For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King!
There’s a tumult of joy o’er the wonderful birth,
For the virgin’s sweet Boy is the Lord of the earth.
Ay! the star rains its fire while the beautiful sing,
For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King!
In the light of that star lie the ages impearled;
And that song from afar has swept over the world.
Every hearth is aflame, and the beautiful sing
In the homes of the nations that Jesus is King!
We rejoice in the light, and we echo the song
That comes down through the night from the heavenly throng.
Ay! we shout to the lovely evangel they bring,
And we greet in His cradle our Savior and King!
My prayer for you in this Christmas season is to look up into the heavens to glorify God in the highest as the angels did on the night of Jesus’ birth when they celebrated the birth of the King.
Simple Faith 