Body
In Luke’s account of the birth of our Lord “certain” shepherds were the first witnesses of what God has done to bring about a new story for all of us to live out in our own witnessing. The actual scene we necessarily enlarge and bathe in the bright heavenly light of comprehension through the retelling was, indeed, mostly moonlit because of the preponderance of flammable hay, materials and old wood and so quiet that the low murmur of mother and child did not rise above the sounds of resting sheep and the few cattle and donkeys. The words about a world in uncomprehending darkness from the gospel according to John might better describe the moment that turned history on its head than our brightly lit Nativity displays, crowded with richly clad wisemen as witnesses who matter and whose understanding of celestial brightness becomes more and more fascinating as astronomical history validates their astrology, even though its foundation rests on the error of what we deem false religion. Their premise, that heavenly events are mirrored in earthly (human) activity, equates lesser gods with generals/ Kings in a constant struggle to align or prevent ambition. When they do come to witness, at a later date and in a different season, what they witness is God freely choosing to step Godself into all history (the Future) in ever new liberation from our gods and generals. But these magi are, in the end, of another season.
