I heard recently (recently, as of this writing, at least) that there was an effort under way to organize a worship service for Star Wars Celebration IV. A fine plan! At such affairs, however, singing generally takes place; and, as far as I know, there are no hymns that include a celebration of Star Wars.
Until such is composed, perhaps this text, which translates some basic doctrinal concepts into terms familiar to Star Wars fans, might help. If you would like to sing it, as part of your Star Wars Day celebration ("May the Fourth Be With You"), the text lays well with the hymn tune "St. Anne," but sounds best with "Ellacombe."
We praise the Maker of All Things --
No Dark Side dims His Light–
That He would give His image wings:
Imagination's flight
His word made matter, worlds that hold
Together by His will.
He gives us our own worlds to mold
Through words that matter still.
All living things make energy,
But, through Him, true Life came;
And power, not slaves, but sons to be,
To all that trust His name.
Unless our actions He controls
Our "Do" is merely "Try."
There is no luck: we reach the goals
His loving plans supply!
We praise Him for the destinies
On different paths He led,
Away from unfulfilling peace,
To happy Wars instead!
Let all hearts thank the Maker, then –
Be they of flesh or steel –
Who, through the dreams of mortal men
Made Worlds in Pictures real!
Suggested tunes:
St. Anne: http://openhymnal.org/Lyrics/Our_God_Our_Help_In_Ages_Past-St_Anne.html
Ellacombe: http://openhymnal.org/Lyrics/Hosanna_Loud_Hosanna-Ellacombe.html
Worlds in Pictures is not only a pretty way to describe the sketches and paintings that directed the designers of Star Wars, but the title of a musical tribute to the art of Ralph McQuarrie, composed by Kevin Kral. It is the best Star Wars-related song ever written. As of this writing, it may be heard here: http://www.myspace.com/kenkrahl/music/songs/worlds-in-pictures-10974185 .For myself, I also thank the Maker for McQuarrie's glorious pictures, and Kral's memorable Worlds!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Soar We NOW – Not Later – Where Christ Hath Lead
Whether you call it Easter or Resurrection Sunday, it's still the commemoration of that glorious proof that the unjust death of a perfect man was a satisfactory substitute for what should have been the eternal death of defiant, self-pleasing humanity.* But God's Holy One did not see corruption¶, and God's raising Him from the dead is what we celebrate, particularly with music. On that Sunday, we get our annual opportunity to sing all those great Resurrection hymns, including one of Charles Wesley's greatest lyrics, "Chris the Lord is Risen Today**." To whatever tune they are set, they remain a beautiful assurance of the blessings of redemption.
You may know the verse normally sung last:
It sums up the fulfillment of the hope described in the previous verses: that we will follow our Redeemer beyond the grip of death, to Heaven. No one would debate that conclusion. However, I have been made to realize that it means so much more than that.
At the end of 2011, I noticed a Twitter post from someone traveling in India, describing smoke rising from funeral pyres along the Ganges. That grim scene was followed by another post about toy kites local children were playing with. The dancing of the kites in the sky, for a moment at least, released the children who held them from the dust and dung around them. Those soaring kites, for whatever reason, had made me think of soaring where Christ had led. Then it hit me: Wesley had written, "Soar we NOW," not "Soar we soon." I had always associated that verse with following Him to heaven, but the redemption Christ bought is not merely about getting to Heaven> It includes how we live on Earth. We don't have to wait until we get to Heaven to live heaven-like lives. Christ enables us to live like someone from Heaven right now even in the spiritual, moral (yes, and sometimes physical) dung and dust of a bitter world of change and decay. After all, eternal life isn't about mere perpetual existence, but about life as God had intended it to be lived.
And His ways are not the ways we choose on our own. Look at the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7). What a radical approach to life – and what an impossibility to live out! Yet, through Christ's resurrection spirit, now living in those who trust Him, we children of dust are able to do it, because He lives through us. Only through him can we truly set our minds on things above, and not on the vanishing things of this earth.§
Because Christ has risen, we may live among the dust and dung, but we are no longer part of it. Like those children watching the kites, our minds are now set on things above, not merely for a moment, but forever! By faith, we are made like Him, and like Him, we do rise; above our daily crosses, beyond the grave and the smoky funeral pyre, and, always, to the skies.
Hie is Risen! And, therefore, We arr Risen, Indeed! Alleluia!
Notes:
*Romans 4:23-25: Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
¶ Psalm 16:10: For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
"Christ the Lord is Risen Today" http://hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh302.sht
§ Colossians 3:1-2: If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
(The posts referred to above require, not merely a HT (Hat Tip), but a star-sweeping flourish of a salute to @ADaniels3PO, who posted them. I don' know where he might stand in relation to my reflection on them, but no one posts thought-provoking observations to Twitter more gracefully than he does.)
You may know the verse normally sung last:
Soar we now where Christ hath led,
Following our Exalted Head. \
Made like Him, like Him we rise!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies!
Following our Exalted Head. \
Made like Him, like Him we rise!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies!
It sums up the fulfillment of the hope described in the previous verses: that we will follow our Redeemer beyond the grip of death, to Heaven. No one would debate that conclusion. However, I have been made to realize that it means so much more than that.
At the end of 2011, I noticed a Twitter post from someone traveling in India, describing smoke rising from funeral pyres along the Ganges. That grim scene was followed by another post about toy kites local children were playing with. The dancing of the kites in the sky, for a moment at least, released the children who held them from the dust and dung around them. Those soaring kites, for whatever reason, had made me think of soaring where Christ had led. Then it hit me: Wesley had written, "Soar we NOW," not "Soar we soon." I had always associated that verse with following Him to heaven, but the redemption Christ bought is not merely about getting to Heaven> It includes how we live on Earth. We don't have to wait until we get to Heaven to live heaven-like lives. Christ enables us to live like someone from Heaven right now even in the spiritual, moral (yes, and sometimes physical) dung and dust of a bitter world of change and decay. After all, eternal life isn't about mere perpetual existence, but about life as God had intended it to be lived.
And His ways are not the ways we choose on our own. Look at the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7). What a radical approach to life – and what an impossibility to live out! Yet, through Christ's resurrection spirit, now living in those who trust Him, we children of dust are able to do it, because He lives through us. Only through him can we truly set our minds on things above, and not on the vanishing things of this earth.§
Because Christ has risen, we may live among the dust and dung, but we are no longer part of it. Like those children watching the kites, our minds are now set on things above, not merely for a moment, but forever! By faith, we are made like Him, and like Him, we do rise; above our daily crosses, beyond the grave and the smoky funeral pyre, and, always, to the skies.
Hie is Risen! And, therefore, We arr Risen, Indeed! Alleluia!
Notes:
*Romans 4:23-25: Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
¶ Psalm 16:10: For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
"Christ the Lord is Risen Today" http://hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh302.sht
§ Colossians 3:1-2: If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
(The posts referred to above require, not merely a HT (Hat Tip), but a star-sweeping flourish of a salute to @ADaniels3PO, who posted them. I don' know where he might stand in relation to my reflection on them, but no one posts thought-provoking observations to Twitter more gracefully than he does.)
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Thoughts on Spring and Easter
The Spring reminds a bitter land
Of Eden's long-lost glade:
Of where the Lord walked close at hand
With those whom He had made.
But Adam doubted God's kind care
And chose defiant pride.
By light exposed and truth made bare,
In darkness, friendship died.
Again, Earth saw God's Truth and Light
His Life became the Way,
His death replaced doubt's endless night
With Resurrection's day.
So Spring reminds a joyous land,
Freed from grim snow and ice,
In trust, we'll walk as God first planned:
Christ restored Paradise.
(Well, at least I didn't fall asleep during the sermon!)
Of Eden's long-lost glade:
Of where the Lord walked close at hand
With those whom He had made.
But Adam doubted God's kind care
And chose defiant pride.
By light exposed and truth made bare,
In darkness, friendship died.
Again, Earth saw God's Truth and Light
His Life became the Way,
His death replaced doubt's endless night
With Resurrection's day.
So Spring reminds a joyous land,
Freed from grim snow and ice,
In trust, we'll walk as God first planned:
Christ restored Paradise.
(Well, at least I didn't fall asleep during the sermon!)
Monday, February 13, 2012
Everybody Can't Stand Jack Benny!
In 1945, that star of stage, screen, and radio, Jack Benny, hit on one of the strangest publicity campaigns of all time. After spending seven episodes building context and suspense, his listeners were presented with a contest. They had up to fifty words to finish a sentence. At that time, such contests were common. Both regional and national products would give prizes for the best answers to "I like Product X because…" Why shouldn't Jack Benny sponsor such a contest? Only his contest was different. Instead of giving answers for why they liked Jack Benny, from December 2nd to 24th of 1945, his audience had to complete:
I Cant's Stand Jack Benny Because …
It turned out that an astonishingly large portion of his audience couldn't stand him. Several hundred thousand letters were received, and the panel of judges, which included Goodman Ace, Peter Lorre, and Fred Allen, needed over a month to select the best answer. Finally, on February 4, 1946, America learned what made Jack Benny so obnoxious:
He fills the air with boasts and brags,
And obsolete obnoxious gags.
The way he plays his violin
is music's most obnoxious sin.
His cowardice alone, indeed,
Is matched by his obnoxious greed.
And all the things that he portrays
Show up my own obnoxious ways.
Carroll P. Craig, Sr.(1945)
Winning entry in the 1945 "I Can't Stand Jack Benny Because. . ." Contest.
Odd, isn't it, that the best reason why we can't stand him is the same reason we love him?
On February 14, Happy Birthday, Jack Benny!
I Cant's Stand Jack Benny Because …
It turned out that an astonishingly large portion of his audience couldn't stand him. Several hundred thousand letters were received, and the panel of judges, which included Goodman Ace, Peter Lorre, and Fred Allen, needed over a month to select the best answer. Finally, on February 4, 1946, America learned what made Jack Benny so obnoxious:
He fills the air with boasts and brags,
And obsolete obnoxious gags.
The way he plays his violin
is music's most obnoxious sin.
His cowardice alone, indeed,
Is matched by his obnoxious greed.
And all the things that he portrays
Show up my own obnoxious ways.
Carroll P. Craig, Sr.(1945)
Winning entry in the 1945 "I Can't Stand Jack Benny Because. . ." Contest.
Odd, isn't it, that the best reason why we can't stand him is the same reason we love him?
On February 14, Happy Birthday, Jack Benny!
On Loving Geeks
Although I'm the last of the Little Old Ladies at my church (a funny story for another occasion), I'm only starting to try on my Red Hat. I am old enough, however, to have spent many Sunday School sessions bellowing with the rest of the class that venerable childhood chorus:
Jesus loves the little children!
All the children of the world!
Red or Yellow, Black or White,
They are precious in His sight!
Jesus loves the little children of the world!
And I learned to care about the children (and the grown-ups) who didn't look like me. After all, the Apostle Paul had said "Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all." (Colossians 3:11)
But there are people groups who do look like me, and whom Jesus does love, yet, from the reaction of other church-people , you'd hardly know it. I'm speaking of — and I use the term respectfully — The Geeks. The children who choose The Clone Wars over Veggie Tales, the teens who prefer science fiction to sports facts, the adults who fix your computers in your home, but who wouldn't go near God's house. Have you ever wondered why?
I think it's us. Last year, I heard a Christian broadcaster talk about an email he had received. His program that day was to have been about male bonding, or something of that nature, and the email had suggested that the men who participate in Star Wars-related costuming might be interested in hearing what he had to say, because that was one reason they joined such groups. Evidently, the broadcaster had not understood the message's main point, because he proceeded to belittle reenactors, Star Wars and Star Trek reenactors in particular, concluding with a remark that the program would be about real male bonding (or whatever it was).
I pray that no member of the 501st Legion heard that. Those of you familiar with this galaxy's manifestation of the Galaxy Far, Far Away, know that the 501st is a society of costumed Star Wars reenactors, primarily stormtroopers, who are noted for their participation in charitable, benevolent activities. They are not maladjusted misfits living in their mother's basement, but professional men and women, who have real jobs, live in their own homes, with their own families (who often enjoy "trooping" with them). Some of the acts of sacrifice they have made for each other I have held up as examples to my Sunday School class. But, while they all know Obi-Wan Kenobi, a lot of them may not know Jesus Christ. And knowing Jesus is eternal life.*
Someone must have told that broadcaster as much, because I understand he later apologized. Still, the point remains: prejudice is still a barrier to making God's truth known, and God's love felt, to geeks, who are just as needy spiritually, as any tax collector, prostitute, or pharisee.
Joe Stowell, former president of Chicago's Moody Bible Institute, once addressed this issue in a lecture he gave on the story of the Prodigal Son.**He had used it to show how Christians need to see people who aren't like them (and who may be hostile to them) the way God sees them. They are His wandering children who need to come home. The next thing to do is to pray for them. Pray that they will pay attention when God speaks to them; that you, or someone they will listen to, have an opportunity to show God's love to them. Dressing up like stormtroopers, or speaking Klingon, or knowing the number of regenerations Doctor Who has had, may not mean anything to you, but it's important to them. Instead of ridiculing them, your time might e better spent finding out why those activities are valued. Geeks most often associate with other geeks, because they don't make fun of each other.
Perhaps showing respect is the most effective way to reach geeks. I'm reminded that the highlight of Dr. Stowell's lecture was an illustration from Star Wars: A New Hope. In it, a couple of droids, Artoo Detoo and his buddy, walk into a bar that is filled with "the weirdest, Weirdest, WEIRDEST – I can't tell you how weird they were" characters. As they come in, the bartender shouts that they don't serve "their kind"— and they're the only normal-looking things in the place.
Remember: that may be how your geek friends will feel when they visit your cantina —er, church.
========================
Notes:
* John 18:3
**My copy has no air date or product number, but it was broadcast on Moody Presents during the late 1980s or early 1990s.
Jesus loves the little children!
All the children of the world!
Red or Yellow, Black or White,
They are precious in His sight!
Jesus loves the little children of the world!
And I learned to care about the children (and the grown-ups) who didn't look like me. After all, the Apostle Paul had said "Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all." (Colossians 3:11)
But there are people groups who do look like me, and whom Jesus does love, yet, from the reaction of other church-people , you'd hardly know it. I'm speaking of — and I use the term respectfully — The Geeks. The children who choose The Clone Wars over Veggie Tales, the teens who prefer science fiction to sports facts, the adults who fix your computers in your home, but who wouldn't go near God's house. Have you ever wondered why?
I think it's us. Last year, I heard a Christian broadcaster talk about an email he had received. His program that day was to have been about male bonding, or something of that nature, and the email had suggested that the men who participate in Star Wars-related costuming might be interested in hearing what he had to say, because that was one reason they joined such groups. Evidently, the broadcaster had not understood the message's main point, because he proceeded to belittle reenactors, Star Wars and Star Trek reenactors in particular, concluding with a remark that the program would be about real male bonding (or whatever it was).
I pray that no member of the 501st Legion heard that. Those of you familiar with this galaxy's manifestation of the Galaxy Far, Far Away, know that the 501st is a society of costumed Star Wars reenactors, primarily stormtroopers, who are noted for their participation in charitable, benevolent activities. They are not maladjusted misfits living in their mother's basement, but professional men and women, who have real jobs, live in their own homes, with their own families (who often enjoy "trooping" with them). Some of the acts of sacrifice they have made for each other I have held up as examples to my Sunday School class. But, while they all know Obi-Wan Kenobi, a lot of them may not know Jesus Christ. And knowing Jesus is eternal life.*
Someone must have told that broadcaster as much, because I understand he later apologized. Still, the point remains: prejudice is still a barrier to making God's truth known, and God's love felt, to geeks, who are just as needy spiritually, as any tax collector, prostitute, or pharisee.
Joe Stowell, former president of Chicago's Moody Bible Institute, once addressed this issue in a lecture he gave on the story of the Prodigal Son.**He had used it to show how Christians need to see people who aren't like them (and who may be hostile to them) the way God sees them. They are His wandering children who need to come home. The next thing to do is to pray for them. Pray that they will pay attention when God speaks to them; that you, or someone they will listen to, have an opportunity to show God's love to them. Dressing up like stormtroopers, or speaking Klingon, or knowing the number of regenerations Doctor Who has had, may not mean anything to you, but it's important to them. Instead of ridiculing them, your time might e better spent finding out why those activities are valued. Geeks most often associate with other geeks, because they don't make fun of each other.
Perhaps showing respect is the most effective way to reach geeks. I'm reminded that the highlight of Dr. Stowell's lecture was an illustration from Star Wars: A New Hope. In it, a couple of droids, Artoo Detoo and his buddy, walk into a bar that is filled with "the weirdest, Weirdest, WEIRDEST – I can't tell you how weird they were" characters. As they come in, the bartender shouts that they don't serve "their kind"— and they're the only normal-looking things in the place.
Remember: that may be how your geek friends will feel when they visit your cantina —er, church.
========================
Notes:
* John 18:3
**My copy has no air date or product number, but it was broadcast on Moody Presents during the late 1980s or early 1990s.
Friday, January 20, 2012
All Paths Lead to Christ – and I’ll Show You How
All the streets in my town lead to Chicago. Yes, it’s true: you can take any street and get to Chicago. For instance, you can even get to Chicago by going West on Oak Street. Now, Chicago is in the opposite direction, but people are using that route all the time. . . because they recognized that, in order to get to Chicago, they need to get OFF of Oak Street at Orchard Road, and turn Left. Then, they recognize that, in order to get to Chicago, they have to get off of Orchard Road at I-88, at the eastbound on-ramp. And it all started by going the wrong way on the wrong street.
Of course, the route is no secret: Oak Street has a number of signs directing drivers to the tollway, but if a driver ignores the signs, there’s no telling where that driver will end up. Wherever it is, though, it won’t be Chicago.
One of the cants of non-scripture-based churches is that all faiths lead to heaven. In a way, they’re right, but not the way they think. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, through Whom, all can come to the Father (John 14:6), but from what I’ve observed, every faith has at least one signpost, so to speak, that points its adherents toward Jesus, if they recognize it. When field workers who help Native Americans have visited the church, they have mentioned how a lot of the tribal religion is consistent with what God has revealed about Himself. When the field workers from Southeast Asia visited, they have commented on how much of Islam is similar to Christian belief. As a matter of fact, some of the teachings urge Muslims to read the writings of Moses and Issa (Jesus). BUT! It’s the parts of those faiths that are inconsistent with the revealed nature of The Maker of All Things (John 1:3) that are keeping them on the wrong road, and end up leaving them lost. Like those field workers do, when we know the route, we need to point out those signs.
A number of years ago, I heard an Unshackled episode (broadcast #2518, from March 21, 1999, I believe) about a Tibetan monk who ran across a prayer: "Lead me from darkness to light, from untruth to truth, from death to life." The search for what it meant led him to another injunction about conversion, and to writings of Buddha that pointed to a resurrected savior. No one could explain the words to him, until he met a cobbler in India. Gradually, the cobbler helped him recognize the fulfillment of those words in the words in the Bible. The monk recognized the signposts in the teachings of Buddha, but they only made sense in the person of Jesus Christ.
As that monk had learned from his earliest days, "he who seeks truth correctly will find truth correctly." If you truly want to know God – and that, after all, is eternal life (John 17:3) – you'll recognize the signs He's posted that show the way. And – nothing against Chicago – He's a grander destination!
Of course, the route is no secret: Oak Street has a number of signs directing drivers to the tollway, but if a driver ignores the signs, there’s no telling where that driver will end up. Wherever it is, though, it won’t be Chicago.
One of the cants of non-scripture-based churches is that all faiths lead to heaven. In a way, they’re right, but not the way they think. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, through Whom, all can come to the Father (John 14:6), but from what I’ve observed, every faith has at least one signpost, so to speak, that points its adherents toward Jesus, if they recognize it. When field workers who help Native Americans have visited the church, they have mentioned how a lot of the tribal religion is consistent with what God has revealed about Himself. When the field workers from Southeast Asia visited, they have commented on how much of Islam is similar to Christian belief. As a matter of fact, some of the teachings urge Muslims to read the writings of Moses and Issa (Jesus). BUT! It’s the parts of those faiths that are inconsistent with the revealed nature of The Maker of All Things (John 1:3) that are keeping them on the wrong road, and end up leaving them lost. Like those field workers do, when we know the route, we need to point out those signs.
A number of years ago, I heard an Unshackled episode (broadcast #2518, from March 21, 1999, I believe) about a Tibetan monk who ran across a prayer: "Lead me from darkness to light, from untruth to truth, from death to life." The search for what it meant led him to another injunction about conversion, and to writings of Buddha that pointed to a resurrected savior. No one could explain the words to him, until he met a cobbler in India. Gradually, the cobbler helped him recognize the fulfillment of those words in the words in the Bible. The monk recognized the signposts in the teachings of Buddha, but they only made sense in the person of Jesus Christ.
As that monk had learned from his earliest days, "he who seeks truth correctly will find truth correctly." If you truly want to know God – and that, after all, is eternal life (John 17:3) – you'll recognize the signs He's posted that show the way. And – nothing against Chicago – He's a grander destination!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Thoughts on the Bethlehem Star
About ten years ago, for some reason, I got to thinking about the star the wise men of the East would have identified as signifying the birth of the King of the Jews. It struck me as being odd that something as spectacular as it must have been didn’t get more coverage in the historical record. But, then again, the wise me were astrologers, not just smart fellows who admired the stars. Astrologers don’t watch for cosmic marvels: they watch for astral movement that most of us don’t pay any attention to. What if the star they were following was one only an astrologer would notice? And what if they followed it, not by dead reckoning, but by observing its movements, doing whatever calculations an astrologer does, and figuring out where to go from the results? It would sure spoil a lot of thrilling Christmas illustrations, but it did seem plausible.
Was I surprised when, a couple of weeks later, an article appeared in New Scientist Magazine1, suggesting the same thing. According to the article*, Michael Molnar, an astronomer formerly associated with Rutgers University, had discovered a reference to the star in a 4th-century manuscript written by the Roman astrologer Firmicus Maternus. Evidently, he described an astrological event involving an eclipse of Jupiter by the Moon in Aries in 6 B.C., and said that it signified the birth of a divine king. Apparently, the early Christians were aware of the celestial event, but didn’t advertise it, in order to avoid the appearance of approving of astrology. The theory hasn’t had much promotion, but scholars quoted in the article think it has merit.
Regardless of the circumstances, though, the story of the wise men is a great illustration of how God reveals Himself to people who wouldn’t ordinarily go looking for Him. The rabbis advising King Herod knew the Hebrew scriptures well enough to tell him the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 and Matthew 2:6), but God didn’t require the wise men to have such background. God got their attention through what they did know: the stars. They still had to act upon their revelation (they still had to go look for that King the star indicated), but they didn’t have to change their studies in order to receive that revelation. And so it is even today, for us wise men and women. We’ll still have to follow up, but, if we really want to know God, He’ll point us in the right direction, using stars that may mean nothing to anyone but us.
I hope you'll see, and recognize, God's hand in your life today!
*Chown, Marcus. Early Christians hid the origins of the Bethlehem star : New Scientist [Web Page]. December 21, 2001; Accessed 12-7-2011. Available at:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1713-early-christians-hid-the-origins-of-the-bethlehem-star.html
Was I surprised when, a couple of weeks later, an article appeared in New Scientist Magazine1, suggesting the same thing. According to the article*, Michael Molnar, an astronomer formerly associated with Rutgers University, had discovered a reference to the star in a 4th-century manuscript written by the Roman astrologer Firmicus Maternus. Evidently, he described an astrological event involving an eclipse of Jupiter by the Moon in Aries in 6 B.C., and said that it signified the birth of a divine king. Apparently, the early Christians were aware of the celestial event, but didn’t advertise it, in order to avoid the appearance of approving of astrology. The theory hasn’t had much promotion, but scholars quoted in the article think it has merit.
Regardless of the circumstances, though, the story of the wise men is a great illustration of how God reveals Himself to people who wouldn’t ordinarily go looking for Him. The rabbis advising King Herod knew the Hebrew scriptures well enough to tell him the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 and Matthew 2:6), but God didn’t require the wise men to have such background. God got their attention through what they did know: the stars. They still had to act upon their revelation (they still had to go look for that King the star indicated), but they didn’t have to change their studies in order to receive that revelation. And so it is even today, for us wise men and women. We’ll still have to follow up, but, if we really want to know God, He’ll point us in the right direction, using stars that may mean nothing to anyone but us.
I hope you'll see, and recognize, God's hand in your life today!
*Chown, Marcus. Early Christians hid the origins of the Bethlehem star : New Scientist [Web Page]. December 21, 2001; Accessed 12-7-2011. Available at:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1713-early-christians-hid-the-origins-of-the-bethlehem-star.html
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