Merry Christmas
The planets seem to wander about the night sky, so the ancient Greeks called them "planetes", meaning 'wanderer'. Somewhere around December 25th of 2 BC, the planet Jupiter briefly ceased it wandering and came to a stop. Viewed from Jerusalem, it stood directly over the small village of Bethlehem five miles to the south. So after inquiring from the Jewish scholars in Jerusalem, a group of maji from the east left the city and followed the star down the road. In Bethlehem they found Jesus and his parents, and presented them with gifts. Jesus was a toddler by then, but the maji recognized the importance of this small boy, and what he would mean to Israel and the entire world. God was very close to fulfilling the third and final promise He gave to Abraham in Genesis 12:3.
- Neal