Scripture: Matthew 2:1-10
The S’s of Christmas – Sermon Series
+The Star of Bethlehem
+The Shepherds
+The Stable
+The Savior
The Star – What can we learn about Our Savior through the Sign, the Symbol and the Siren of the Star of Bethlehem.
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Most of us grew up learning a portion of an English lullaby that was written by the 19th century poet Jane Taylor. That lullaby was part of a poem called “The Star”. It was included in a collection entitled Rhymes for the Nursery that was written by Jane and her sister Ann Taylor and was published in London in 1806.
The part of the lullaby or poem that became famous are these words:
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
That little lullaby is still popular today.
This morning, I would like for us to focus on another star – or perhaps we should say another light. A light that has over the years been labeled as the Star of Bethlehem or the Christmas Star.
I. That Light was God’s Sign in the Sky
If you have ever done a deep dive on the star or light of Bethlehem, you find very little written about the meaning of the star and a plethora of material written about what exactly was the star or light and when did it first appear.
+Was it a planet or a group of planets that came into a cosmic alignment?
This was the thought of the 17th century German astronomer Johannes Kepler. Kepler believed that three planets came in an alignment to form the Christmas Star. He dated the time of that alignment to around 7 B.C.
Since then, quite a number of scholars and astronomers have attempted to discover when the Christmas light appeared and its origin. Some have theorized that the light came from a distant sun that went supernova or that it was a comet streaking across the sky.
Others have taken Kepler’s theory and have agreed that the Christmas Star was a conflagration or the coming together of several planets. However, they have not agreed on which planets they were or when the event happened.
Some have said it was Jupitar, Saturn and Mars that were in perfect alignment while others have opted for the idea that it was Venus and Jupitar. Some have stated that all of this happened in 7 BC but others say it was 6 BC or even 5 BC. And quite recently a new group has decided that the Christmas Star was the star Regulus and the planets Jupiter and Venus which came into alignment around 2 BC.
Now, all these theories have long-drawn-out reasons why their theory is the right one. And as we see, they date the Bethlehem star as early as 7 BC or as late as 2 BC. They all do their best to prove that their theory is the right one while dismissing all the others.
I think all of them miss the main point. They don’t see the trees for the forest so to speak.
They focus on calendar watching. They attempt to look at the night sky and count backwards to where this star or that celestial body or even that zodiac symbol lines up in just the right fashion so that they can discover when the star appeared and therefore when Jesus was born.
And of course, there are those that say the whole thing was a hoax. That there never was a star and it is a waste of time and resources to even spend time researching the idea. That we need to remember that God doesn’t exist and so there is nothing to study.
Well, I don’t agree with that last group.
And I don’t want to dismiss whole cloth those who have spent a great deal of time and energy trying to find the Bethlehem star.
However, I do believe what they should have focused on was the fact that the Light was to be a Sign.
It was God’s Sign that He put into the sky to speak to the Magi.
It was God’s Sign that He put into the sky to display His Power and Majesty.
Recently there are growing number of people who have quit looking at the star charts to try to explain what happened and have instead:
+Focused on the fact that it was a miraculous sign from God. It was not a natural phenomenon, but it was a supernatural manifestation of God’s glory and power in the skies to announce the coming birth of His Son Jesus.
+Or they have settled on the possibility that the light could have been an angel; since the star is said to have moved and focused itself over the house where Jesus was staying as a child. The light was one of God’s Angels showing the way for the Wise Men to find Jesus.
It was similar to the pillar of fire at night and the pillar of clouds in the day that led the People of Israel out of Egypt and into the Wilderness.
In Revelation chapter one we read where the Apostle John tells us that angels are in fact called stars and lights. So, it is not a stretch to think of the Bethlehem Star that way. That it was God’s angel that was showing the way for the Magi to travel and then appeared over the very house where Jesus was staying.
So, what was that light that has been called the Star of Bethlehem or the Christmas Star? Was it a planet, a collection of planets aligned together, a new star, a sun gone supernova, a comet or even an angel?
One day we will all know the correct answer. Until then, I believe it would be better for us if we would focus on these simple but undeniable facts:
+That star (that light) was God’s sign to the Magi and to any that had eyes to see it.
+It was more than a physical phenomenon in the sky.
+It was God’s way of getting the Magi’s attention and then for them to share the message of the Coming King to the world.
II. That Light was also God’s Symbol to Humanity
That light in the sky was not only a sign, it was also a visible symbol that God was at work in His world.
God was not asleep. God was not disinterested. God had not rejected His creation. Just the opposite.
That light in the sky fulfilled the long-time prophecy that we read about in Numbers 24:19 –
“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will raise out of Israel.”
That light, that star or that shining angel; symbolized:
+That the Royal and Divine nature of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY was busy at work.
That work would be through the one who would bear the name Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus would be born in the town of Bethlehem to a Virgin named Mary. And Jesus would be none other than the very Son of God and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
That light, that star or that shining angel; symbolized:
+That a New Age was at hand.
An age that had its beginnings all the way back to the Garden of Eden. An age that spoke about a Savior coming to the earth who would make a way for the power and penalty of sin to be paid for, broken, and removed.
A Savior that would defeat sin, death and the grave. A Savior that would pave the way for God’s Holy Spirit to enable those that choose to be born from above, to be Born Again. A Savior that would enable God’s Holy Spirit to not only cleanse humankind but to unite with them as well.
III. That Light was to be the first light of many lights.
The Star or the Light of Bethlehem was not only to be a sign and a symbol, but it was to be a challenge to everyone. You could say it was to be a siren call to all who could see and hear.
Oh, we can’t be a planet and we most certainly can’t be a comet or a supernova sun. We can’t be an angel either.
But in Philippians 2:14-16 we read these words from the Apostle Paul:
14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing. 15 Then you will be the pure and innocent children of God. You live among people who are crooked and evil, but you must not do anything they can say is wrong. Try to shine as lights among the people of this world, 16 as you hold firmly to the message that gives life. Then on the day when Christ returns, I can take pride in you. I can also know that my work and efforts were not useless.
And we hear Jesus telling those who would listen:
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” – Matthew 5:14
The New Living Translation puts it like this:
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.
Jesus’ disciples knew such a city. It was the city of Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem was built high on a mountain. At night when the lights of the city were shining you could see it for miles. Jerusalem could not be hidden. It was there for everyone to see.
That was especially true in the days of King Solomon when the Temple of God was covered with white alabaster stones and gold plating. When the sun hit the city during the day and when the lights of the city shown at night you could see the alabaster walls and the golden doors of the Temple.
Jerusalem was a city built and designed to be seen.
Jesus was telling His disciples – live in such a way that people see you. They see your good works and glorify your Heavenly Father.
Live in such a way that all those around you can see that you are different, that you are a person of holiness and righteousness.
Live in such a way that people are drawn to the One who makes you different in mind, body, spirit, speech and action.
This morning we do not gather to be invisible.
We do not shut the doors and turn off the lights to do things in secret and in darkness.
Just the opposite.
Like Our Heavenly Father we shine so that in the darkness of this world people can see God’s light in our lives. We shine so that people can see that God’s New Age is in the here and now.
Back in 1988, during one of his speeches George Bush, Senior talked about there being thousands of points of light. He was speaking of thousands of people being points of light that would make the world a better place.
That phrase “thousands of points of light” had been used by others and even appeared in one of C. S. Lewis’ works, The Magician.
Each time it was used it was to promote the idea that all of us can come together as individual points of light and change the world around us.
Since 1988, hundreds of organizations all around the world have taken that phrase – Points of Light and have created ministries, charities, shelters, and agencies that have helped millions of people worldwide with all kinds of issues including hunger, housing, human trafficking, poverty, drug addiction, abuse, counseling and the list goes on and on.
This morning, the Christmas Star, the Bethlehem Star reminds us that we too can be a light for a dark world to see how it can be a better world.
This morning, the Christmas Star, the Bethlehem Star challenges us to join it as a sign and as a symbol of God’s glory, presence, mercy and grace.
This morning as we come together to celebrate Holy Communion there is a small candle (battery operated) here in the front of the church that you are invited to take with you.
Take it and put it somewhere where you can see it this Advent Season to remind you to be one of those points of light that can make a difference in our world today, starting in your own home, with your own family and spreading out into all the world.
Invitation to Holy Communion
