The Night the Stars Sang, by Ingrid Daniel: Christmas Eve

Posted on December 24, 2019 | Posted by Mary Stoneback

When I was in seventh or eighth grade, my bell choir was invited to participate in a tree lighting ceremony in Golden, Colorado. We were told that, since space was limited, and all of the available outlets would be in use, we had to play without tables, and that we had to memorize the music. So, we got to work. We memorized an Alleluia by Mozart and arranged the bell assignments so that everyone had two bells. A night or two before the performance, we met to practice. It was a beautiful, starry, chilly Colorado evening, and the director suggested that we go outside and ring the piece, so that we would know what it sounded like in the open. We agreed and stepped outside. It was fully dark by the time we got out there. The air had a bite to it, and the stars were blazing with light above us. Everything around us was silent – the entire world seemed to be listening. The director gave the downbeat, and we were off!

The glorious music swirled around us, over us, under us, and through us! I truly felt as though we were one – not just one set of people, but one with all of creation. It sounded as though the stars themselves were singing! The music bound us together, and made us one, through God, for those moments in time. I treasure that memory. Later that year, I heard John Denver singing a song about a starry Christmas Eve. In the song, he sings about another time when the stars were singing – the night when Jesus was born. What an incredible sound that must have been!

Dear Lord, please help us, in the busyness of this season, find time to stop and listen. As we listen to carols, or happy children, or the buzz of excited planning, help us to hear another sound beyond these, too. Help us hear the singing of the stars, announcing the wonder and glory of your birth on earth! This we humbly pray, Amen.

~Ingrid Daniel, 2013 Advent Devotional A Light Shines in the Darkness