A Reflection on Timing, Wonder, and the God Who Dwells With Us
From the beginning, God has spoken not only through words, but also through time. He uses seasons, patterns, and promises unfolding exactly when they should.
The story of Jesus does not start in the manger. It begins much earlier, quietly and with purpose. Scripture invites us to look closely—not to debate dates, but to see how carefully God prepared everything.
When we follow the biblical timeline through John the Baptist, priestly service, Jewish feasts, and the rhythms of creation, a picture starts to form. It suggests Jesus was born not in winter, but in early autumn during the Feast of Tabernacles. This reflection explores why that timing matters and how it shows God’s purpose, helping us focus on meaning rather than exact dates.
John the Baptist: The Forerunner in Time, Not Only in Ministry
The Gospel of John tells us:
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light.” (John 1:6–7)
John’s witness did not begin when he preached in the wilderness. It began before his birth.
Luke records that John’s father, Zechariah, was a priest serving in the Temple according to an established rotation. He belonged to the division of Abijah, one of the twenty-four priestly courses that served in an orderly cycle throughout the year. This matters because it anchors the story in real time.
While Zechariah was performing his priestly duties, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and announced that Elizabeth would conceive a son. Luke then adds an important detail:
“So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.” (Luke 1:23)
After Zechariah returned home, Elizabeth conceived.
This places John’s conception in a narrow seasonal window, likely in late spring or early summer—a time of transition from planting to growth. Scripture then tells us something remarkable: six months later, moving from summer into autumn, the angel Gabriel was sent again—this time to Mary.
“Now indeed, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her.” (Luke 1:36)
The timing is not incidental. It is intentional.
A Measured Interval: Six Months That Changed the World
The six-month interval between John and Jesus is one of the clearest chronological anchors in the New Testament.
If John was conceived in early summer, he would have been born in spring, around the time of Passover—the feast that remembers deliverance from slavery and anticipates redemption. This is fitting, because Jewish tradition long associated Passover with the expectation of Elijah, the prophet who would come before the Messiah.
John, Scripture tells us, came “in the spirit and power of Elijah.” His very birth announced that the waiting was nearing its end.
Counting six months forward from John’s spring birth brings us from late spring, through summer, into early autumn.
This timing suggests Jesus was born around the seasonal transition from late summer to early autumn, in September or early October, during Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles.
Sukkot: When God Dwells With His People
Sukkot was one of the great pilgrimage feasts. It celebrated the harvest, God’s provision, and Israel’s time dwelling in temporary shelters during the wilderness journey. Families traveled. Booths were built. Communities gathered.
And Scripture tells us something extraordinary about Jesus:
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)
The word 'dwelt' literally means 'tabernacled.'
A Messiah born during the Feast of Tabernacles has deep meaning. Passover is about rescue. Sukkot is about God’s presence. First, God saves. Then, He comes to live with His people.
The details of Luke’s account fit this season well:
- Shepherds were watching their flocks at night, consistent with autumn pastoral practices.
- Travel for census and taxation would align naturally with the harvest season, when people had resources and roads were passable.
- Temporary shelters and crowded lodgings were common during pilgrimage feasts, explaining why there was “no room in the inn.”
Though this doesn’t specify an exact date, it suggests a fall birth aligning Scripture, culture, and history.
A Quiet Beginning: Conception and the Season of Light
While Jesus may have been born in the fall, He was likely conceived in winter, around the Hebrew month of Kislev, which usually falls in December.
This season is marked by darkness, shorter days, and waiting. It is also the season when later generations would celebrate Hanukkah, the festival of light and dedication.
Scripture does not tell us that Christ was conceived during a celestial event. And yet, it is worth reflecting: the God who set the stars in their courses from the beginning may have allowed creation itself to quietly rejoice.
Each December, a meteor shower visible to the naked eye faithfully returns—ordinary, expected, and yet beautiful. Sometimes we overlook the ordinary, forgetting that God often chooses the familiar to mark the extraordinary.
The Incarnation did not begin with a spectacle. It began quietly, with a yes whispered in faith and life forming where no one could see.
Seasons, Not Timestamps
The Bible does not give us a birth certificate. Instead, it gives us appointed times—feasts, seasons, and signs that teach us meaning rather than precision.
December 25 became part of Christian tradition not as a historical fact, but as a statement of faith: in the darkest part of the year, Light has come.
The goal is not to argue about dates.
The goal is worship—and to see how the timing of Jesus’s birth reveals God’s purposeful design.
The goal is hope—remembering God keeps His promises.
The goal is remembering that God keeps His promises.
The goal is worship—and to see how the timing of Jesus’s birth reveals God’s purposeful design.
The goal is hope—remembering God keeps His promises.
The goal is remembering that God keeps His promises.
The same God who aligned prophecy, priesthood, history, nations, and the heavens still governs today.
Christmas is the story of the King who came at the divinely chosen season—and the King who will come again.
A Prayer for This Season
Lord God,
We thank You for Your perfect timing.
For promises spoken long before we were born,
and for hope fulfilled in ways we could not have imagined.
We thank You for Your perfect timing.
For promises spoken long before we were born,
and for hope fulfilled in ways we could not have imagined.
Thank You for sending Your Son—not in haste,
but at the appointed time.
Thank You for entering our world in humility,
for dwelling among us, and for bringing light into our darkness.
but at the appointed time.
Thank You for entering our world in humility,
for dwelling among us, and for bringing light into our darkness.
Jesus, we receive You again this season.
as Savior, as King, as Emmanuel, God with us.
Guide our hearts, restore our hope, and teach us to wait with trust.
as Savior, as King, as Emmanuel, God with us.
Guide our hearts, restore our hope, and teach us to wait with trust.
Bless our homes, our families, and all who seek You.
May Your peace rest upon us,
and may we live in joyful expectation of Your return.
May Your peace rest upon us,
and may we live in joyful expectation of Your return.
Amen.
A Christmas Blessing from ShellMiddy
From our ShellMiddy family to yours,
we wish you a blessed, joyful, and Merry Christmas.
May this season be filled with light, peace, and the deep assurance that God is faithful yesterday, today, and forever.
we wish you a blessed, joyful, and Merry Christmas.
May this season be filled with light, peace, and the deep assurance that God is faithful yesterday, today, and forever.
A Note on Research and Tools
This reflection was developed through prayerful study of Scripture, historical sources, and timeline modeling. Artificial intelligence tools were used to assist with research gathering, chronological calculations, and pattern analysis. All conclusions, interpretations, and final edits were reviewed and shaped by human discernment, faith, and reflection.
