The Star of Bethlehem

Not to the king the Star,
Flaming in light afar;
Not to the king on his throne apart,
With fear and hate in his evil heart,
Speaking smoothly with lying ruse
To find the new-born King of the Jews;
Not to the king the flame,
The light and the glory came.

Not to the seers the Star,
Shedding its beams afar;
Not to the seers with their downbent looks,
Poring over their ancient books,
Searching where and pondering when,
He should be born who is Saviour of men;
Not to the seers the flame,
The light and glory came.

Not to the sword the Star,
Glowing and bright afar;
Not to the sword that sought where He lay,
Callous and cruel and eager to slay;
Never were bearers of swords so led
Where helpless and innocent blood was shed;
Not to the sword the flame,
The light and the glory came.

But to the wise the Star,
Lighting their path afar;
Unto the wise who truly sought
With reverent worship and loving thought
These to the Child the Star could bring,
To lay their gifts at the feet of the King;
Unto the wise the flame,
The light and the glory came.

- Annie Johnson Flint -

Matthew 2:9-10  When they had heard the king, they
departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east,
went before them, till it came and stood over where the
young child was. When they saw the star,
they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

Research that was done at the Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy showed some interesting things about the activity of the stars and planets in 3 B.C. when Jesus Christ would have been born. The indications from that project were that He was most likely born in September, possibly on the 11th. Here is a link to a post on this subject for further reading: The Christmas Star Research Project.

background and graphics by Mary Stephens
vintage graphic: unknown source