Beautiful Star of Bethlehem -- Adger M. Pace

He had written so many songs by the time the words came for another song in 1940, that he really didn’t need a special time of the year to spur the words for this one. And yet, the poetry he crafted indicates that Adger McDavid Pace was thinking about a Christmas theme when he penned “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem”. This 58-year old teacher, performer, writer, and editor was probably somewhere near or at his home in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee (in southern Tennessee, see map) in that year, though in his mind he was far from there. Gazing at the sky, as shepherds did nearly two millennia previously, Adger was helping direct the attention of others to see an undimmed star in a faraway place. Shine on, he called out.

Adger M. Pace had likely written many hundreds, or even thousands of songs by the time 1940 arrived, and ‘Beautiful Star of Bethlehem’ was one more that illustrated where his life’s work had been spent and what road he would continue to travel. He reportedly wrote or co-wrote some 4,000 songs in the Southern gospel tradition, a brand of music that emphasized the four-part male harmony that Pace and the Vaughan Publishing Company helped popularize in the early 20^th Century. Adger began his musical career as the editor for the company, but also performed on the radio and taught at the company’s school, all in Lawrenceburg. What circumstances transpired in 1940 that prompted his thoughts about the star over Bethlehem is not clear, but given what we know of Adger, it’s not difficult to imagine why he took up his pen yet again. It was Christmas, or perhaps he was looking forward to that time of year, and his musical juices flowed to generate a song for the four-part harmony with which he was so familiar. Perhaps many of his acquaintances thought the best work of this 58-year old was in the past, but this new song became one of his most recognized when people reflected on his life later on. Adger drew upon the wise men and the Christ-child’s nativity scene (v.1) in the ancient village in Judea to relate his musical version of this well-known Christmas story. But, he must have wanted to broaden the impact of the story, if we can surmise something more from what he wrote. He suggests that the ‘beautiful star’ can encompass more than the holiday season, something we can infer from his words ‘Shine on’, which are a refrain in each of his verses. Was it something that Adger noted in his own corner of the world that made him focus on this thought poetically and musically? Did Pace believe that the influence of Christ was too distant at other times of the year? Is it mere speculation, or is it true that more of our world could profit spiritually if the star shone brighter – or, instead, if we all looked more intently at it – throughout a calendar year?

Adger Pace spent his life teaching, writing, singing, and leading people to see what he saw. And so, he didn’t deviate from that when it came to the holiday season. ‘Jesus is the reason for the season’, someone says, a phrase that Adger would have undoubtedly embraced. He just seems to say that the ‘season’ doesn’t end on December 26^th. Can you see the star that Adger saw, on this June day, when we’re pretty far distant from the Christmas season? Adger might say it’s always Christmas time.      

See the following link for biography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adger_M._Pace

See also here: https://hymnary.org/person/Pace_Adger

And here for reference to author and a few of the songs attributed to him: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/p/a/c/e/pace_am.htm