The Christmas Star

One of the first message I ever spoke was about the Christmas Star. Now this may seem like an unusual topic, but hear me out. I believe that the star plays a critical role and has a lot to teach us about how we need to conduct our lives.

Stars are mentioned in the Bible nearly 70 times. They first appear at creation, when they are distinguished from the sun by their function (Gen 1:16). Stars are created, numbered, and commanded by God (Isa 40:26; 45:12; Jer 31:35; Job 9:7; Pss 8:3; 147:4). Stars declare the glory of God (Pss 19:1; 148:3). Let me start by reading a portion of the Christmas history from Matthew.

Matthew 2:1–10 NLT

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ ” Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

We have heard this story before but have you ever considered. There had to be something different about this Star, something that set it apart from all others, something that drew the attention of the wise men. There have been numerous theories about this phenomenon: was it a supernova (the explosion of a distant star), well none were none at the time of Christ, was it a comet, Haley’s comet was recorded in 240 BC, and if you calculate the 77 year intervals of Haley’s comet you still arrive at 12-11 BC which would not align with Jesus’ birth. One thing we do know is that in these times the stars were studied and astrology was practiced. So there is no doubt that this was something extra ordinary.

Stars are mentioned in the Bible nearly 70 times. They first appear at creation, when they are distinguished from the sun by their function (Gen 1:16). Stars are created, numbered, and commanded by God (Isa 40:26; 45:12; Jer 31:35; Job 9:7; Pss 8:3; 147:4). Stars declare the glory of God (Pss 19:1; 148:3). Stars are treated as the noblest work or our Creator. Jesus is referred to as ‘the Bright Morning Star” in Revelations, and the list goes on.

So what is that we can learn from the Christmas star? Well first lets look at what purpose the Star served.

The Star was a guide to the Savior.

The Star was the guide that showed the wise men where Jesus was. We speak a lot about The Great Commission. Matthew 28:19

Matthew 28:19 NLT

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Just like the Star was to guide wise men to Jesus. This to is our call. We are to be the beacon for others to find the Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love of God. This is the what we need to do and I want to look at some of the aspects of the Star in the Christmas history that point us to the how we can and should fulfill this.

The Star just had to be a Star to point the wise men to Jesus

The Star was just doing what God created it to do. Shining in the sky and going where God told it to go. It didn’t speak to the Wise Men along the way, it didn’t shoot sparks at the Wise Men to keep them on track. It was focused on being a Star and shining as brightly as it could. When we talk about the Great Commission here at Calvary it is always hand in hand with the Great Commandment. Matthew 22:34-40

Matthew 22:34–40 NLT

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

The Stars job was to be in the sky and shine brightly. That is all it had to do. Our job is to Love God with all our hearts, souls, and mind, and to Love our neighbors. I want to focus on this for a moment. All of these things are focused on what we are to do and I want to point out what it doesn’t say: It doesn’t say tell others what they are doing is wrong, it doesn’t say that you have to go to a particular church (but the Bible does tell us we need to be in church), it doesn’t say you have to vote a certain way, it doesn’t say love others only if, it doesn’t say anything about being against this or that.

Now I am not saying that we don’t believe that there are those things that are sin and what it calls sin I believe are sin. BUT.... what it calls sin is for us to use to understand better how we need to change, not so that we can tell others what they need to change. It is there for us and others to see our need for a Savior not for us to use to beat others up. It shows us how much God loves us that He sent His son even though we didn’t deserve it.

What the Star teaches us is that if we focus on being and doing what God calls us to be ourselves and not focus on changes others need to make we will shine in a way that others are drawn to us and want what we have. The Star didn’t care who the wise men were or what they did or didn’t do, it was just up there shining showing the way regardless of what the wise men did, thought, or believed. If the Wise Men had chosen to go a different way, or not to follow, it would not have changed what the Star did. The Star was focused on being a star.

Each of us has the power within us to draw others and let them see Jesus. What we need to focus on is not them but on God, loving Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. When we do this, God changes us, He shows us changes He wants us to make so that we will shine more brightly. It is not about focusing on what is wrong with others, the world, society, or the government. It is about changing us so that others can see the light.

The Star didn’t know if anyone would follow

The Star was not concerned with who chose to follow it’s light. It had no idea of how many or when they would follow. The Star was there and ready for anyone to follow. I think this is important because you do not know who may be drawn to the Light of Jesus living in you. What we do know is that if you are loving God with all your heart, soul and mind is that others will be drawn. We need to be ready to share with those who are drawn what changed us and what makes us shine. 1 Peter 3:15

1 Peter 3:15 NLT

Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.

While we know of the Christmas Star do you know that each of us have many ‘Stars’ in our lives. Those people who are shining brightly who are living the Great Commandment, that when we have crossed their paths have guided us into a relationship with Jesus, or into a deeper relationship with Jesus. I could name many but I want to share one with you from my life. These are people I did not know and still do not know but that had a profound impact on my relationship with Jesus. The are and forever will be northern stars for me that to this day light my way to Jesus. One of my stars is military doctor whose name I do not remember. This doctor was the one who told this 17 year old girl that she was pregnant. When I told this doctor that I was a christian, they asked if they could pray with me. Now stop for a moment and think about this, I am on a military base, in a military medical center, not exactly the place that praying for someone would be common place. Yet, completely unexpectedly a bright light shines into a very scary moment in my life and this doctor who had never met me before and that I have never seen since prayed for me and my child. They were not concerned about who I was, what I was doing, or what I would do. They were focused on the Great Commandment and living that out in their life.

I cannot imagine the faith this person had to step out the way they did. Maybe you have never been to a military medical center and don’t understand this completely but when you go you are mostly a number, the entire place operated like an assembly line. You go in you pick up your records, yes you had to get your records and take them with you to the doctor. You then navigate the halls to find the right location, and then sit and wait having no idea who you will be seeing (and they don’t know either). This is not a warm and fuzzy type of place.

What I do know now is what this person had to have been doing in order to be that star in my life. They had to be focusing on all God wanted them to do, they had to be in a close relationship with God in order to hear Him and pay attention to the nudging to pray for me. Focusing in on our relationship with God it what will allow you to be a star in someones life. You may never even know like this person, that you have been a star, but just like the Christmas Star, that is not our concern, we just have to shine.

The Star confirmed the presence of the Savior

Just like the star, our lives are to be a confirmation of the presence of a living Savior. Each and every day we have the opportunity to confirm the presence of our Savior and point others to Him. 1 Peter 2:9

1 Peter 2:9 NLT

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

The Bethlehem Star is no longer in the sky, but those the Holy Spirit living in us we can shine just as bright. My purpose, my heart, and my goal in life is to Love God with everything I have, and to love others as He would. My life scripture is Psalm 40:2-3

Psalm 40:2–3 NLT

He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.

God uses Christians to point to Jesus, draw attention to Jesus, and to help people to Jesus. Do you recognize that you are in the same role as the star of Bethlehem?

We are living in a time unlike any we have known before. This Christmas we are forced out of normal routines and celebrations. This is a gift if we chose to allow it to be, because we have the opportunity to not miss the chance to be the Star in someone life, we have the opportunity to focus on the true meaning of Christmas without the noise and business this season normally brings.

We are surrounded by darkness but we are called the light of the world. Matthew 5:14

Matthew 5:14 NLT

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.

Challenge:

What are you doing to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind? Are you giving it 100% so that you will shine brightly? or are you focused on the darkness and everything that you think should change in this world or others? You can’t honestly do both. You can do one or the other.

Ephesians 5:8 NLT

For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!

2 Corinthians 4:6 NLT

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

Our lives should be such that everything we do has an effect on those around us. That we live in a way that others will see us and ‘wonder what is wrong with us’ not exactly but in part true because we will not live and act as those in the world. We need to each determine what we can do that pleases God with our lives and do it. We all need to stop trying to fix others and the world as the prescription for the world and others is us focusing on our own thoughts and actions, that is how God set it up.