It May Not Have Been December

Historians say it was a different day
When Jesus was born long ago
For shepherds in fields at night
Would not have been a winter sight
What season it was we cannot know
But a calendar date
Is not the thing we celebrate
It’s the miracle of mercy we remember
When God the Son wore human skin
To save us from our sin
Though it may not have been December
Astronomers suppose a planet arose
Venus on a clear night, not a star
No anomaly of astronomy
Without a telescope to see
The naked eye can only go so far
But whatever glowed that night,
God proclaimed «Let there be light»
And we are living in creation’s burning embers
For the One whose wounds were planned
Stretched out a Baby’s hand
Though it may not have been in December
It’s not that facts don’t really matter
It’s a question of what really matters more
In an endless war of words,
The Good News goes unheard
And we set aside what Christmastide is for
There are those who say there are countless ways
The life of the spirit is expressed
You can take your choice
Of any truth, any voice
Keep only what you choose and lose the rest
But the God of Eternity
Stepped into history
As humankind’s first immortal member
Now goodwill comes to all the Earth
At our Blessed Savior’s birth
Though it may not have been December
It may not have been in December