Astrology Today
We have come to the close of the Christmas season celebration and we realize that there are so many amazing aspects of the events surrounding Christ’s birth. One that has especially made its way into our decorations, cards, carols and nativity scenes is the Star of Bethlehem. Have you ever gone outside on a clear night and looked up into the night sky? It’s beautiful, isn’t it?
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He created the galaxies and the stars, and he set them spinning in space in astronomical precision. The book of Genesis tells us that God gave us the stars in the sky to give light on the earth and to serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years. (Genesis 1:14-15) God designed the universe with order, and as the ancients studied the night sky, they observed this beauty and order.
For the most part, in the days of Jesus’ birth they found the sky was predictable. As the great star wheel turned above the earth, each of the stars stayed in relative position to each other. The moon and the planets moved independently of the stars, but you could still plot their course in the sky.
The Magi, astrologers from the East, noticed something unusual in the sky around the time of Christ’s birth. Something out of the ordinary caught their attention and spurred them on to make the long journey to Jerusalem. Whatever Scriptures they knew, somehow they were able to make the connection between the star they saw rising in the east and the ruler who was prophesied in the Old Testament. And so they came to worship him.
The gospel of Matthew begins with foreigners from a distant nation coming to worship Christ. Matthew ends with Jesus’ commission to the church to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19) It is a reminder to us that we are to share the good news of Jesus with everyone, everywhere we can, both here where we live, and around the world. We are to make disciples of all nations as we point them to Jesus.
In the Christian faith this past week we observed the Epiphany. The word comes from the Greek work "phos" meaning light. To have an epiphany means to come to a new understanding, to experience a revelation, to have "the light come on," and to see things in a new light. It is the opportunity to see God's light in a new way.
The purpose of the star is to point us to him.
Have you shared the Good News with anyone lately?
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