Thursday, December 22, 2011

Thank You for the Bright Star

In anticipation of Christmas, I'm revisiting a series of guest posts that I wrote last year for Tommy Nelson. Our family wishes yours a very blessed Christmas season . . .

Thank You for the bright star
That shined and led the way,
So wise men found and worshiped Him,
As we still do today.

Thank You for the bright star,
Your precious Christmas gift.


For over two thousand years now, scientists have been trying to explain “the star in the east” of Christmas story fame. But the wise men in the Bible, they needed no explanation.


Their one line says it all: “Where is the baby who was born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east. We came to worship him” (Matthew 2:2 ICB).


These wise men knew exactly what the celestial phenomenon was about, and they set out on a long journey to worship the newborn King. They journeyed all the way to Bethlehem, the star leading the way. When they did find Jesus, under this magnificently bright star, they worshiped Him and presented Him with precious gifts. 


If you’re a Christian who has heard this story countless times, this is just another part of the Christmas story. But to put it in a more modern perspective, imagine Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, and Stephen Hawking (yes, I know, but imagine . . .) dropping everything to go to the Middle East and present an unknown child with precious gifts. It would raise an eyebrow or two, no?


Still, these wise men were so certain of their mission, so certain of the evidence, that they weren’t concerned with what the world thought of their journey. They had one goal: to find this King and express their allegiance to Him.


Thank You for the bright star that these men had the wisdom and faith to follow. It’s no wonder that thousands of years later, we’re still calling them “wise.”


Are you playing the role of a wise man today?

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