"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not upon thine own understanding: In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the LORD, and depart from evil"
On this night we gather in solemn celebration of a birth. No-one knows when this birth actually occurred, but we have chosen this night to celebrate it in absence of any definitive report. Tradition has it that the season of birth was mid-winter, although that may be a concession to earlier pagan beliefs that winter was the season of rebirth leading to a new spring and summer. Our Scripture tells us that it was the time of a great census by Rome, a time most likely to happen in winter when people would not be encumbered by the needs of food production and other preoccupations of an agrarian society. It is recorded that it was during that required pilgrimage to fulfill the census that this birth took place. The actual time of year of the birth is not of particular significance, though.