Following the Star

Pause

Breathe deeply.

This is the time for you to stop and notice the light on the window, scents in the dry winter air, and the subtle sounds that are the background of your day. Take a moment to notice the beating of your heart and the gentle brush of cloth against your skin.

These moments are a gift that Christ has given you and that you can give back to Christ, the gift of presence and companionship.

Breathe and pause and listen.

Listen

A man named John was sent from God. He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him everyone would believe in the light. He himself wasn’t the light, but his mission was to testify concerning the light.

John 1:6-8

Think

The winter sky is filled with stars. Somehow they seem to shine brighter in the winter. We look for pictures in the stars, as we do with clouds. Some people see a line of stars and it becomes Orion’s belt; to others, the same line of stars is a canoe sailing the seas of night. We all seek to label what we see, to find the pattern even in the most cosmic of experiences.

John recognized the light of God in Jesus. It was not something that John could define, but it was there, unexpected and unmistakable.

Our experience of God can come in predictable ways that fit neatly under our “spiritual” label, or it can come absolutely out of the blue. God finds us where we are: on the banks of a river like John, or braving the cold at the bus stop at the beginning of another long day. The light of God is there, transforming our day into a holy space. Find the Light.

Linnae Peterson

Pray

Lord God, give me the ability to find your light, even when it is hidden in the daily-ness of my life. Show me the ways you are present in me and around me. Make known to me those holy places all around me where you wait for me. Amen.

Go

The wise men followed the star. They walked in the light of God’s presence and found Jesus at the end.

Go walk in the light of Christ, knowing that God is with you, and there you will find Jesus.

Go discover the light of Christ that shimmers around you.

Go celebrate the light of Christ with you and within you today.