Star of wonder

Star of wonder, star of might, star with royal beauty bright.

Isn’t it amazing that at the end of this year, the year that has shaken the planet to the core with the coronavirus, where not one single nation has been untouched, there is an event in our skies that everyone can see and marvel at.

It is the conjunction of Jupiter, the king planet and Saturn, the ruler and though these planets are hundreds of millions of miles apart they are passing one another in such a way that they appear to form one bright star in the night sky that all can see on Earth.  In the northern hemisphere it is equally significant as it appeared at its brightest on 21 December, the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year. 

Even the most secular people are calling it the Christmas star. Surely it is no coincidence that at such a dark moment on the earth, when the virus is once again running rampant, a star to bring hope is shining in the darkness. 

This same conjunction may have been the star that heralded the birth of Jesus and brought the wise men to come and worship the king, the Light of the World. Just as that star proclaimed the new era, Immanuel God with us, so this star too is a sign that God is birthing a new era for planet Earth, the era of the King. 

As we face this very different Christmas and an uncertain 2021, may our hope not be placed vainly in 2021 being a better year just because it’s not 2020, or in a vaccine or anything else but in Jesus Christ the King, and in a God who loves us and sent us a sign that he has it, he’s in control.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15: 13