A Season of Promises Fulfilled: Star in the East

Last night my husband and I were able to attend a presentation called The Season of Lights at our local planetarium. Though the projector was old, making the images fuzzy, it was still an interesting narrative on how many of our December Holiday traditions began. Whether it was the celebration of the Star of Bethlehem, yule log, or Menorah, the presentation pointed out that most of our traditions revolve around light.

As Christians, we believe that the Star led the wise men to Jesus so that they could worship Him. Much ink has been spilled in an attempt to scientifically explain the phenomena that led to this unique star. But the simple truth is – we don’t know.

A profound truth – right? So what can we learn from the Star in the East?

When the light of Jesus is revealed to us, we are take action. Matthew chapter two contains the story of the wise men who have left their homes in pursuit of the King of the Jews. These men were not content to stay in their cities and hear about the birth of the Messiah second hand. They pursued the truth for themselves. Following the star was an act of faith.

When we are in the presence of the light of Jesus, we are to worship Him. The wise men fell to their knees and worshiped the Christ child as soon as they found Him. We don’t have the privilege of visiting Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in flesh today, but we do have the honor of entering into His presence. It’s incredibly easy on a Sunday morning in the pew to be so focused on the outfit of the lady across the aisle, the color of the carpet, and the tempo of the music that we forget we are corporately in the presence of Jesus and are called to worship Him.

When we accept the light of Jesus, nothing is more important to us than Him. Our gifts back to the Lord are not limited to gold, frankincense, and myrrh. He has given us time, intellect, and unique skill sets that we can use to glorify God and tell others about Him. He may call us to step out in faith and face difficult situations, but He is the greatest treasure we could have.

How does your family celebrate the tradition of lights? Last week, I was contacted by a new friend, Ashley, who keeps Christ in Christmas for her family by celebrating the wise men and their pursuit of the Christ child. She and her husband wrote a book (complete with wooden dolls) called The Journey of the Wise Men. This is part of their Seeker on the Sill box set that allows children to not only read about the wise men, but interact with the story.

Similar to Elf on the Shelf, Seeker on the Sill offers a new Christmas tradition for your family to use your imaginations and simultaneously keep the story of Christmas in front of your children.

As we light candles and drive through neighborhoods to see the Christmas lights, let’s find ways to remind our children and ourselves that the true light of Christmas is Jesus.

 Then Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life”. John 8:12