Christian Endeavour

In my estimation, it seems to take about 12 days at the most for the star which shines so brightly in the Christmas story to have faded away. Like the bright angelic choir which sang to the shepherds, the star guiding the wise men to Bethlehem is a prominent feature in Christmas services. But, when we get to Epiphany, it has faded away and the concentration is on the Wise Men and their gifts. Yet the star is so important as it is part of that Epiphany, the divine revelation of the infant Jesus to these searching foreigners. So we can’t forget about it as attention moves to gold, frankincense and myrrh. We will probably never know what sort of astronomical feature the star was, though many have tried to explain it. However, it doesn’t really matter. It was the purpose which counted and that was to be a star of revelation. It revealed the way the Wise Men had to follow – the challenge to recognise the significance of this stellar appearance which they had observed and to respond positively to it (Matthew 2.1-2). It identified the location where they would find the King they were expecting (Matthew 2.10) – rated as a one-star B-&-B, animals welcome, cot provided – and where they knelt in adoration before a Child who they recognised to be a God-given Gift for the blessing of the whole world. It has continued to shine down the ages through the particular story in Matthew’s Gospel (Matt.2.1-12) with a mystery and fascination which can direct wise men (as well as women and children) to their own Epiphany of recognising Jesus Christ, the baby born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger, as the Son of God and Saviour of the world. It still is an Epiphany star, a star of revelation. Maybe the light of the Star of Bethlehem doesn’t fade as quickly as I thought, or perhaps it is like a comet with a regular divinely designated appearance for a brief period every twelve months. We need its light to remind us that we, too, can have an Epiphany, just like the Wise Men, and recognise Jesus for who He really is.  So, continue to twinkle, twinkle, not so little star.

Here we are at the start of a New Year and many of us will be wondering where the last year went. It seems to have rushed away in the last few months, with all the preparations for Christmas & New Year celebrations. Some of us remember the start of the Millennium, with its special celebrations, and apprehensions, and wonder how we have already advanced a quarter of a century as we now step into 2025. As they say, time flies. It rarely seems to stand still. At this time of year, we can actually watch time fly. On the television, we can see the celebrations of the New Year progressing round the world as major cities reach the critical point of their mid-night, and firework displays are set off. Each place wants to outdo the others in the magnificence of their display, so a wave of light and colour, noise and joy moves around the world. In the words of the poet Kate McIlhagga, ‘the new year sweeps across the world in glory’. Perhaps we may think that there is precious little glory in the world at the moment as we look at world events, and as the glory of the angels and their Christmas message of peace on earth because of the Saviour’s birth begins to fade as we prepare to take down the Christmas decorations. But if we add the love we have from God, which the birth of Jesus Christ tells us about, to the hope we have for a good new year and share it with others, then maybe we can bring some happiness to the next twelve months for ourselves and others who need it. If we are not to ask the same question, ‘Where’s it all gone?’, at the end of 2025, we need to take hold of that time which so easily flies by and hang on to it for a few moments, make time for some reflection of where we are, where we are going, and ‘who loves you, baby?’ as Kojak used to say.  I heard a prayer in church during Advent which said : ‘Lord, help me to befriend time, to be free of the fear of it passing too quickly, too slowly, too unproductively, for You are the heartbeat of all time. In You every second is precious and sanctified. May I never miss the blessing of ‘Now’ in my hurry to journey on.’ So take just as few moments to ponder this : Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments. worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God. And may you have a Blessed and Healthy 2025, with time to stop and ponder.