There is something mesmerizing about the dark starry sky. I can get lost gazing towards the sky as I watch the stars shine so radiantly. Being in the city makes it hard to see the elegance of the night sky. But going to a more desolate area makes it possible to see the beauty that occurs after sundown.
A couple weeks ago, my mom came running into the house exclaiming, “Hurry up! Come outside! There is a bright blue light in the sky!” As I stepped outside, I noticed a bright, yet fading light. “It’s gone. I’m sad you missed it” my mom stated. She continued to say that there was a bright light traveling in the sky, as if it were trailing off of an airplane. “As I continued to watch, the light trail ended and it turned into a blue haze. It was so bright! I wonder what it could be?”
That must have been the thought of the shepherds as they stared into the night sky on that cold, Christmas morning. “What is that bright light? That star is shining so radiantly!” A star of that magnitude must have brought many questions and mixed emotions, just as it did to my mom and the rest of San Jose.
The bright light in San Jose was also seen in Southern California and Arizona. It turns out that a military base in San Diego shot an unarmed missile into the sky that night. This occurrence was mentioned in the news for a good week and a half. I still hear people talking about the “bright blue light”.
That light brought questions. That light grabbed people’s attention. That light is still being discussed in the workplace and in the media. But what that light didn’t bring was hope. It didn’t cause an event that would dramatically change this world. That light will soon be forgotten.
There is one light that will never be forgotten. There is a light that is still shining brightly. There is a light that will bring hope AND love AND joy to this world. There is a light that will never be taken away and no man, no creature…no thing can extinguish that light.
That light was the light the shepherds saw in Bethlehem many years ago. That light was the light that was visible to the Wise Men who lived miles and miles away – Wise Men who were drawn to its beauty and radiance.
I love the last lyric of the hymn “Watchman, Tell Us Of The Night”. It reads:
“The Prince of Peace, Lo! The Son of God is come!”
Friends, the Son of God has come! He is the gift that brings us light in our darkest times. Jesus is the light that was sent to this earth to save us from this hopeless world. Once we experience that light in our own lives, it is extremely difficult to let that light burn out.
This Christmas I encourage you to be a light to the people around you. Be a light that will make people say, “What makes her shine as bright as a diamond?”
Be a light that will gravitate others toward Christ.
Watchmen, Tell Us Of the Night
Words by: Sir John Bowring
Watchman, tell us of the night,
What its signs of promise are.
Traveler, over yon mountain’s height,
See that glory beaming star.
Watchman, does its beauteous ray
Aught of joy or hope foretell?
Traveler, yes – it brings the day,
Promised day of Israel.
Watchman, tell us of the night;
Higher yet that star ascends.
Traveler, blessedness and light,
Peace and truth its course portends.
Watchman, will its beams alone
Gild the spot that gave them birth?
Traveler, ages are its own;
See, it bursts over all the earth.
Watchman, tell us of the night,
For the morning seems to dawn.
Traveler, darkness takes its flight,
Doubt and terror are withdrawn.
Watchman, let thy wanderings cease;
Hie thee to thy quiet home.
Traveler, lo! the Prince of Peace,
Lo! the Son of God is come!
Credit: Photo by Sarah Simon // Instagram: @themintgardener
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