Conjunction

Unlike that lone first star of Christmas night
This union burns expectedly above,
But like that light, this, too, shines highest, bright
And may still testify of searing love.

Drawn closer by the work of innovation,
Man captures and contains this far-off flare.
How like and unlike the flame of incarnation
That, inverse, came to earth to draw us near.

‘Tis not that Morning Star of which we sing,
Yet still we see the story in its path:
The bringer of jollity, the cosmic king,
Obscures and reignites the shade of death.

Though not the light first followed by wise men,
These heavenly hosts proclaim His word again.

R. McLaren 12/22/20

I glimpsed the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn last night during an evening run. Although I believe that the actual Christmas star described in the Gospels was providentially supernatural, I am yet convinced that the very order of the cosmos contains theological significance worth our awed contemplation.

If I do not write again before Friday (Christmas is busy for musicians), I wish you a safe and merry Christmas, my dear Reader.