Sarah & I would like to share with you one of our "first" traditions (if we can call it a tradition yet). We decided to get an Advent calendar for our Christmas season! 1. Because I don't remember the last time I ever went through an Advent calendar 2. Because it's cool and we live in Seattle 3. Because it's biblical (thought I should add this one). We are celebrating Advent, because the word means "coming," and reminds Sarah & I of the best "coming" there ever was! The arrival of our Rescuer, Jesus Christ!
December 4th! Day 4! After a long day of work and community, Sarah and I came home and finished our evening with our Advent reading. What struck us was the use of a special 'star' during Jesus' birth.
Matthew 2:2-10 " '...for we saw His star in the east and have come to worship him...'
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared...
And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they (the wise men) saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy!"
I don't know what it is about stars that fascinate us. Having lived in the country before, I know what it's like to look up and be utterly amazed at how many stars God has placed up in the heavens. On the coldest and clearest of nights you can see thousands, maybe even millions of them! This story in Matthew highlights the important of one particular star. A star that appears for these wise men, and for this special occasion! Never before had it been seen in the sky until now.
Of course, some have thought this 'star' to have been a comet or supernova, or a cluster of planets come together. Still others have thought it was a bright light, a manifestation in some way of God's glory. To be honest, it's really hard to know exactly what it was, considering you and I weren't there to see it that night! Whatever it was, Matthew calls it a star. I love the importance of this star. This very star. A star that wasn't in the sky before but had now appeared for the birth of Jesus. What a unique star, set apart to shine for this most special occasion!
As Sarah and I were reading about this 'star,' another reference to a 'star' in the Old Testament came to mind. Did you know that Jesus was clearly called a 'star' in Numbers?
Balaam (an ancient prophet ) once gave a prophecy that read like this: "the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;..." (Numbers 24:15-17)
Could this 'star' that was now over Jesus' house be telling a bigger story? Was Matthew's star possibly pointing back to the same 'star' that Balaam, the ancient prophet, was talking about? Possibly so! What we do know is: the True Star had finally come to earth! This small light in the sky was pointing to something so much greater: the True Light, Jesus Christ, had come!
Whether you have a star or an angel or nothing at all on top of your Christmas tree, remember this one thing. May Matthew's 'star' remind you of the True Star, Jesus! The Light of the World who came to Rescue us all out of our darkness and shine His glorious bright light into all the dark corners, cracks, and crevices of our life. Sarah and I thank God for His Star (Jesus), which He made to appear in His timing, to shine into our hearts the light of salvation!
"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:6
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