December 2, 2005

As winter quickly steals the stage, and the black velvet of night rolls in earlier and earlier each December evening, one may look up and see the glittering hosts of celestial bodies sparkling down upon his or her head.  As what appear to be tiny pin-points of flame twinkle down from the vault of heaven arching across the endless sky, we know indeed that each is actually a blazing ball of flame and fire.

And though we may also know that such light and heat is the result of colossal explosions and fusions and that one blazing furnace in the sky functions similarly to each of the others, still the glory of any one star that we behold is inconceivable whether we spin about it in orbit or are merely observing its light from millions of light-years away.  Each star is uniquely created with unique position and unique purpose in the sky through which it sails in apparent perpetual journey.  No two stars are identical whether we’re discussing the actual mass and breadth of said stars or we’re considering those objects upon which their light and warmth shine. 

“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.’  And it was so.  God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.  He also made the stars.  God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from darkness.  And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:14-18 NIV).

And just as these cosmic lampposts are each fashioned by the Divine Hand and appointed their own stellar duties, so each man and woman, boy and girl is uniquely created and positioned in this more temporal existence by that same Hand.   And since we know that “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name” (Psalm 147:4 NIV), we can also know that our lives are not accidental and that our place and purpose in this world are not incidental.

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for Him?  You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.  You made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet” (Psalm 8:3-6 NIV).

How wonderful to know that the light of each of our lives is not hidden from His eternal eyes!  How amazing to know that we each count and matter in the grand scheme of His eternal plans!  Though we may often feel lost in our responsibilities, our problems, our sins, or even the countless needs of over six billion other people, we are each known by name by the One Who spread the boundless canopy of heaven across the universe!

And how like Him, too, to appoint among all the starry host one single light that would transcend the luminance of all the others, to herald the arrival of One Who, among all the hosts of earth, would transcend the luminance of all other earthly and spiritual beings!

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi (meaning, “learned men”) from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the One Who has been born king of the Jews?  We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:1-2 NIV).

Greeting the tiny Messiah on the behalf of humanity with gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh, these “Wise Men” followed the light of that very special star from the lands of the East and fulfilled their God-given destinies.  Likewise, if any would be wise today, they still turn to the Eternal Light of Jesus that shines in the darkness of our broken world, and follow it, fulfilling the destiny that God has reserved for them.

Let us each then choose to receive the gift of forgiveness of sin and eternal life through faith in Christ.  Through Him we become as lights in the dark and wintry sky of a world that is shrouded in sin and selfishness, shining with the sparkling glimmer of hope, joy, and love!  And let us also “do everything without complaining or arguing, so that <we> may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which <we> shine like stars in the universe as <we> hold out the word of life” (Philippians 2:14-16a NIV).

May we avoid the trap of becoming bitter and self-absorbed, like a star that collapses in upon itself.  Black Holes shed no light or warmth but greedily suck in all life and heat, hording such good things inside themselves and incapable of shining any longer.  Souls that implode in this way, whether due to bitterness or selfishness, are useless in any spiritual sense and offer nothing to those around them except an insatiable hunger that constantly gnaws at them.

But let us choose instead the destiny that God Himself has chosen for us.  If we’ll receive the freedom that Christ offers us through genuine faith in His work of atonement on the Cross of Calvary, we shine like stars indeed.

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world….  Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16 NIV).

(Thom Mollohan and his family have ministered in southern Ohio the past ten and a half years.  He is the pastor of Pathway Community Church.   For comments or questions, he may be reached by email at pastorthom@pathwaygallipolis.com).