The Mystery of the Star

"We saw his star in the east and have come to worship Him." --Matthew 2:2 NIV

A Starlight Stroll

Standing in total darkness on the road in front of our river cabin, I waited patiently for my eyes to adjust. Greg had just turned off the lights inside the cabin and was making his way ever-so-slowly toward me. We spoke to one another as he proceeded.“Can you see the road yet?” I asked.“No, but I think I’m starting to see the sky above the mountain.”“Can you see me?”“No, but I’m coming toward you.”“Don’t run into one of those big rocks.”No response.“Ok, I know you know to watch out for those,” I chuckled. “Sorry…but still, don’t run into one.”

A moment later, I felt Greg’s hand on my shoulder and knew he had made it past the boulders we had placed in front of the cabin years ago for parking stoppers. About this same time, my eyes began to take in the lighter objects around me—the large white rocks, the caliche road, and the softer gray of the sky above the black mountain on the other side of the river. Soon, tiny points of light began to appear within that gray expanse as our eyes became more accustomed to the dark.

A Starry Night Sky

A Dome Filled With Lights

It was a moonless night, and as we walked, we held hands and stayed on the white road. You may be asking why we didn’t pull our phones out of our pockets and turn on the flashlight app. Why the slow progress when it would have been so easy to use a light?

The answer is simple: We wanted to enjoy the untainted beauty of our surroundings—the comforting cool of the evening, the fresh fragrance of the juniper trees, the musical melody of the axis deer calling out to warn one another of our presence, and the wonder of the unknown within the shadows.

But most of all, we wanted to see the stars.

Taking only a few steps, I was soon beneath the first opening in the canopy of the trees and raised my gaze to look directly overhead. The tiny specks of light now came into focus and twinkled sweetly. We paused for just a moment to let the stars speak to us, and the words they spoke were words of light… and life… and joy… and peace.

Proceeding down the road, we stopped at each break in the canopy and took time to take in the view—always something new and ever life-giving. At the end of our trek, we arrived at the paved road where we paused a little longer and enjoyed the wider vista of the sky for a moment before turning back toward the cabin, which was now about a mile away. On the return, we did not quicken our pace; we chatted as we ambled along and took time to enjoy each glimpse of the sky—always new even though we had taken this stroll hundreds of times before.

They saw a star in the East.

The Star That Led Them

I allow my mind to wander, imagining the amazing journey of the Magi; and as I ponder it, questions abound: “Was this star visible during the daytime or did they have to travel at night in order to follow it? If so, how did they avoid tripping over rocks, running into trees, or falling into holes? Was it a dramatic display or a tiny variation from the norm, detectable only by the experts?”

And here’s a really tough one: “How did the star take them precisely to the very stable where a newborn baby lay resting quietly only hours after his birth?”

No noise, no fanfare, no waving flags or marker signs—only the star. What a mystery!

The Greater Mystery

But the mystery of the star goes beyond all of this. God chose to appear to man in the form of a newborn baby. How un-god-like! Or perhaps I should say, “How very like our God!” Our loving and compassionate God chose to become a helpless baby, born to peasants, in a world that was hostile to his culture and race. The real mystery of the star is in the Christmas story—the story of a kind, forgiving deity who came down from heaven to live among his people and pour his love out on them... to the point of death.

This is a mystery we may never fully understand, but as we ponder it and try to grasp the magnitude of it all, let us delight in the joy that Christmas brings and choose to follow the star that leads us to the brightest light of all—Jesus, the Son of God.

A Christmas Blessing for You

May the Light of Christ guide your steps, fill your home with peace, and bless your heart with wonder this Christmas season. May you follow His star with joy, and may His presence be your brightest gift.

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