Here we are, nearing the end of the calendar year, and with that comes Christmas! A day that is celebrated by everyone in the Christian world by simultaneously looking back. Looking back to childhood, to classics from the past, to other Christmases—cherishing the traditions, songs, and customs that we repeat and carry with us from from year to year.
We love to look WAAY back to commemorate the “First Christmas”—when “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14) That advent became so pivotal that, from that point onward, the timeline of global history was reset forever. This year, we’re looking back farther than ever—2,025 years—to that singular night in time when the Light of the World was born in Bethlehem.
By common consent, we’d probably agree that the one symbol that BEST represents the essence of Christmas … is the STAR. Whether five-pointed, six-pointed, or 26-pointed, the Christmas star—often called the Bethlehem Star—has been used to symbolize the LIGHT of Christmas around the world for multiplied centuries. Now, it’s interesting to me that the Christmas story, as recorded in all its glittering detail in Luke chapter 2, never mentions the STAR at all. To find the bright star in the heavens that led the Magi from the East, you must journey over to Matthew 2.
Even after all these years, we’re still inspired by that heavenly light to top our Christmas tree with a star. But, alas, unlike the original, our ornamental star is one by shape only—there’s no intrinsic light energy emanating from it. It may be illuminated from an external source, but our star is decorative only.
Long-cherished in our family is the hand-folded 16-point “Moravian Star.” (Also called a “German Star” or “Froebel Star.”) My creative sister has been making them for years, and this season, to my delight, she taught me how to fold one. It’s simple, anyone can do it. At first, it seems complicated, but not if you follow the pattern … and it’s even addictive. All you need are four long strips of paper and the dexterity of your fingers—and a good memory. The strips are manipulated according to a strict formula to create a three-dimensional thing of folk-artsy beauty. No glue—the points are held firmly in place by the tension of the folds themselves. As they turn out, no two stars are exactly alike. It’s worth the effort, but for it to work, the procedure must be followed precisely.
If you use your imagination with me, this folded star is a bit like our daily Christian walk … and witness. Once we are born again, Jesus gives us four basic elements to build our LIGHT: the Blood, the Name, the Word, and the Spirit—each providing an aspect of His continual help for us to turn from darkness to the LIGHT. Every day:
- the Blood cleanses us from sin;
- the Name of Jesus sets us apart;
- the Word nourishes our soul; and
- the Spirit guides us into all truth.
But, it takes daily effort. We continually weave the elements together with prayer, faith, and patience—to create a thing of humble beauty for the King. No “glue”—there’s nothing forcing us to keep it together except the application—the tension—of each of the elements working in us. As we let the Blood, the Name, the Word, and the Holy Spirit shape us, no two of us are ever exactly alike, though we may resemble each other. It’s definitely worth the effort, but, here again, for the design to work, the basic pattern must be followed precisely.
The interesting thing is that we, as God’s Stars, don’t just represent a model of light. We’re not just the shape, but we actually possess the power given to us by the True Light. “Ye SHALL receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall …” glow as my witnesses, Jesus said. (Acts 1:8)
“You ARE the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)
To live as a Child of Light is simple—anyone can do it. Though the pattern may seem “complicated,” it’s not if you follow the Plan … and those who live as God has designed find that it’s “addictive” in a good way. We learn to quickly plead the Blood, prayerfully invoke the Name, diligently search the Word, and willingly submit to the Spirit. It doesn’t take long to discover that there’s no better life than to “walk in the Light as He is in the Light.” (1 John 1:7)
The reward? “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” (Philippians 2:15 KJV)
Merry Christmas! SHINE ON, lights of the WORLD!
