By Kim Cooper
The articles I bring you try to highlight many important areas of agriculture and how they affect our daily lives.
Today, I would like to share a true story from many years ago. I trust this story, which I bring each year at this time, will add a special meaning to your Christmas celebration.
It was Christmas Eve 1972. Four good friends and I were on a mission. Astronomers had reported the Star of David, the very star that shone over the small town of Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago, was orbiting close to earth.
We decided to go out in search of this star after our Christmas Eve service at Victoria Avenue United Church in Chatham.
We left Chatham and headed out into the stillness and darkness of that Christmas Eve. As the hours passed, the silhouette of our car flashed across the roads and ditches of the countryside.
We traveled many miles that night, just as the wise men did following this same star. Our eyes continually scanned the cloudy skies, hoping for a westerly wind to move out the cloud cover.
The hours flew by, and with them, our hopes to see the star.
Each one of us felt so discouraged on this seemingly lost mission. We reluctantly decided to head back home. Five hours of driving, searching, and seeking – but no star.
What a waste of a night! On that last stretch of road leading from Erieau to Chatham, we happened to take one last look out into the southern sky.
There it was – the Star of David! The same star that shone over Bethlehem to announce the birth of Jesus the Messiah.
We stopped the car and the five of us scrambled out to look at this incredible sight. It was the largest star we had ever seen and seemed to fill the entire sky with its brightness.
The same star we had read about since we were young children had become a shining reality.
We stood there, motionless, speechless, and in awe, staring up into the stillness and silence of that night. I imagined what it would have been like to be a witness to this amazing sight two thousand years ago.
Never before had I experienced such an awareness of God’s peace and presence. The same light which ushered in the earthly presence of Jesus so many years ago, was again shining to declare the glory and majesty of God.
On behalf of my entire family, we pray you and your loved ones will experience this Christmas season with thankfulness and a renewed sense of hope and joy.
Just some real food for thought.
Kim Cooper has been involved in the agribusiness sector for over 40 years. He can be reached at: kim.e.cooper@gmail.com
