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Sunday Morning: with Sally Magnusson

With Sally Magnusson

with Sally Magnusson

BBC Radio Scotland - Sunday Morning, with Sally Magnusson

The Director of the Vatican Observatory, Br Guy Consolmagno, on the Star of Bethlehem.

What was the Star of Bethlehem? Sally talks to Director of the Vatican Observatory,  Brother Guy Consolmagno about the Christmas star and its symbolism.

The Christmas story of the Star of Bethlehem that guided three wise men to the birth of Jesus has been given an intriguing twist this year. Jupiter and Saturn are set to create a "Christmas star" with a dramatic close encounter we haven’t seen so clearly in the skies for 800 years. But just what was the Star of Bethlehem? Sally talks to Director of the Vatican Observatory,  Brother Guy Consolmagno.

The symbolism of the star is also a powerful image for humanity, as Elizabeth Drummond-Young, a Teaching Fellow in Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, and Reverend Richard Frazer from Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh join Brother Guy to discuss its importance this time of year. 

One of Scotland’s most famous churches, Greyfriar’s Kirk, in Edinburgh’s Old Town, celebrates its 400th anniversary on the 25th December. In that time it has not only played a pivotal role in supporting the city’s poor and homeless, but has also been responsible for some of the mythology behind both Greyfriars’ Bobby and the Harry Potter series. Reverend Richard Frazer has been the minister of the Kirk for nearly 18 years and tells Sally how the celebration of this landmark will unfold. 

Nativity plays retelling the story of the birth of Jesus are a staple of schools and churches in December, even though this year they will feel very different. But that central message remains the same, and the symbolism of the manger and the stable no less powerful.  The Rev Diana Hall, Rector of St Anne’s Scottish Episcopal and Methodist Church in Dunbar captured her thoughts for us on the meaning of the Nativity.

As this strange year draws to a close, what are the moments that have enriched us and kept us going? Elizabeth Drummond-Young, Richard Frazer and Brother Guy Consolmagno look back on the year and discuss if there are any lessons or new perspectives we will be able to hold on to going forward.

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