A couple of summers ago I was camping with my family up at a beautiful isolated lake in British Columbia. It was a giant lake where the only access to most of it was on long, bumpy (and dusty) logging roads. We traveled for a good two brain-rattling hours before we were rewarded with a pristine beach in the middle of nowhere. Now to some of you this might sound terrible, but we happen to like the Wild and will go to great lengths to be out in it. The weather was simply gorgeous and that night we were able to see more stars at one time than I have ever seen in my life, and counted numerous shooting stars and satellites. In that silent stillness, with a vast twinkling sky above us and water gently lapping the shore, a profound sense of awe and wonder and hope settled on me. I sensed the majesty of our Creator, his breath hovering above us.
I began to realize that this night sky is what many people in the world are privileged to see most of the time... away from city lights. And that throughout history, the night sky has had a greater importance because it has been far more visible without our modern light-polution. People must have been much more familiar with the stars and constellations than many of us are nowadays.
The stars are so breath-taking and make us feel so small - how much more so for ancient people who were well-acquainted with them - steering their ships, judging the seasons, keeping them company in absolute darkness without the benefits of electric light. What must it have been like to have a strange star suddenly appear in the sky 2000 years ago? What must it have felt like to have your world changed by the appearance of Light? It was out of these musings that summer night in the Canadian wilderness, that the ideas for my Christmas song "Starlight" were born.
Now... first person to comment on this and share their thoughts wins a "Starlight" CD! Hurry so you can get it before Christmas!
