Who has not gone out of doors on a dark, clear night and looked overhead to see sparkling lights hanging in the darkness and whispered deep, deep within, "Ah!" Those lights that hang from heaven are reminders that the darkness can never overcome the light; that no darkness can ever overcome us; that eternity stretches far beyond the bounds of our human understanding and our planet. As we continue looking upward, our necks begin to ache, and slowly it feels as if our very souls are being drawn upward, to the vast beyond, which is at once frighteningly unknown yet miraculously familiar.

Psalm 19 proclaims,

The heavens are telling the glory of God - and the firmament shows God's handiwork. One day tells its tale to another, and one night imparts knowledge to another. Although they have no words or language and their voices are not heard, their sound has gone out into all lands, and their message to the ends of the world.

The stars have no voice, no way to herald the news of God, but they have something greater than words - they shine in darkness. And those who have eyes to see follow the light right into the presence of Jesus. Can you imagine how the world would be if more of us acted like stars pointing the way to God? If our spirits were so filled with light, that others could find their way to God simply by following our light?

But, what does it mean to act like a star in the complexity of the 21st century?

It means, first of all, that you feel the heat and light of God's love in your own heart. It means remembering times in your own life when darkness seemed your only companion; when in the midst of that darkness you felt the light of God shining, however small, in the cavern of your own abyss, and you knew that all hope was not lost. That you had a chance for new life. That you could reach out your tremulous fingers and the Light would grasp you and pull you out of the pit into the land of brightness.

It's hard to be a star, letting your light shine and pointing out to others where God is, if you have not known the terror of darkness and the reality of being pulled, yourself, into God's light. The reason for this is because stars do not rely on words to bear their message—words that can cleverly persuade others to come to God. No, stars rely on the light of God that shines through them to bear the message.

What star is this, with beams so bright,
More beauteous than the noonday light?
It shines to herald forth the King,
And Gentiles to his crib to bring.
("Hymn 124" from The Hymnal 1982, ©Copyright 1985 by The Church Pension Fund)

So, if you choose to be a star this Christmas, spend time reading, reflecting and praying—then re-reading, reflecting and praying again—through the Gospels, so you learn what it is to follow Jesus. Then follow by offering the simplest true gestures. Offer them in the darkness, and the light of God within you will grasp others from their darkness and point them to the light of God.

Copyright © Calvary Episcopal Church.