Lighting has impact. Artists understand this truism. So do photographers.
Last week I observed the lighting at my church. A figure of the Baby Jesus lay near the alter. There, the illumination was greater. That extra light on the figure made it stand out during a Christmas pageant.
When artists draw nativity scenes, extra light illuminates the manger. Jesus appears brighter than the rest of the stable. Some artists take this concept further. They draw a beam of light projecting downward from the star of Bethlehem.
When Jesus was born, someone must have held a candle or torch nearby. This notion is conjecture but it's plausible. A woman in labor would require lighting. A candle up close would have brightened Jesus more than the surroundings.
Was it a natural occurrence that someone lit a candle? Or did God or his angels ensure that someone lit a candle? God, like artists of the time, understood the impact of lighting. He wanted those shepherds, and the Magi later on, not just to see Jesus, but to behold him. Good lighting would further that aim.
Was the star of Bethlehem a supernatural light? Most scholars don't accept that assertion. They've offered scientific theories to explain it. The so called star has been described as a comet, or a supernova, or an alignment of planets. Those theories are explainable using the scientific method. Who knows, maybe God did use a natural phenomenon to lead those Maji to the stable.
Or maybe he didn't. That light in the sky might have indeed been supernatural.
Given the magnitude of Jesus' birth, it is possible that God tinkered with the lighting.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas.
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