Day 23: The Star
“When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy.”
Matthew 2:10
Stars are the single, most powerful objects in our universe. They are massive nuclear fusion reactors. Producing light, heat, gravitational forces. They are awesome in every sense. Super cool and staggeringly powerful.
“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour out speech;
night after night they communicate knowledge.”
Psalm 19:1-2
The stars exist to declare the glory, might and beauty of God. Day by Day, Night by Night they preach their ongoing sermon. Screaming look at us we are awesome, the One who spoke us into existence, threw us into position and calls us out by name is indescribably glorious.
The star in the nativity story is very odd. We don’t really know what it was a comet, asteroid, meteor or a very weird star that moved around the night sky in a very weird way. What it was and how it worked are far less important than what it was doing.
John Piper writes:
“The star is doing something that it cannot do on its own: it is guiding magi to the Son of God to worship him. There is only one Person in Biblical thinking that can be behind that intentionality in the stars - God Himself. So the lesson is plain: God is guiding foreigners to Christ to worship Him. And He is doing it by exerting global - probably even universal - influence and power to get it done. Luke shows God influencing the entire Roman Empire so that the census comes at the exact time to get a virgin to Bethlehem to fulfil prophecy with her delivery. Matthew shows God influencing the stars in the sky to get foreign magi to Bethlehem so that they can worship Him.”
This is one of the coolest things in the Bible God the Father is wielding the heavens like a giant advertisement exerting untold power and might in order to bring worshiper to His awesome Son.
The sight of this star filled the Wise Men with joy and it led them to the source of all joy.
My Great Grandfather had a friend from Edinburgh who liked to remind people that the Wise Men came from the East. As if they had set out from Leith. Not to be out done Bobby would reply: ‘Aye and you can tell they were wise because they left.’
The Star yelled out come and see. Come and see what God is doing? Come and see how good, how kind, how gracious God is. He has given us the greatest gift. He has given us a saviour. This child the magi travelled to see was born to bring joy to all who will come and bend the knee before Him.
Written by Andrew Mathieson
A Thought to Remember: God the Father is wielding the heavens like a giant advertisement exerting untold power and might in order to bring worshiper to His awesome Son.
A Bit More to Read: Revelation 22:16
A Question to Ask: Have I come to bend the knee before King Jesus?
A Song to Sing: Silent Night
A Picture for the kids: The Star