“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”…After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. Matthew 2: 2,9 NIV

I love looking at stars. They create a sense of awe and wonder. One wonder-ful star led three wisemen to Jesus. The Bible tells us these men saw the star and knew it would lead them to the one who was to be king of the Jews. These men came to worship the one whose birth was announced in by a star.

I’m reminded of C S Lewis’ children’s book, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, in which he personifies stars…

…’In our world,’ said Eustace, ‘a star is a huge ball of flaming gas.’

‘Even in your world, my son, that is not what a star is but only what it is made of…’

I’m not equating a piece of fiction with the Biblical story of Jesus’ incarnation, but I do think there is more to stars than the ‘huge ball of flaming gas’ we see in the night sky.

Here are some verses from the Bible about stars:

God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. Genesis 1:16 NIV

And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. Deuteronomy 4:19 NIV

From the heavens the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera. Judges 5:20 NIV

You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. Nehemiah 9:6 NIV

…while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Job 38:7 NIV

He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Psalm 147:4 NIV

The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. Revelation 1:20 NIV

In Romans, Paul says that from the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made (Romans 1:20 NIV). God reveals himself in all he has made.

The night he placed a star in the sky to announce the incarnation, God revealed his love in its purest form – His own beloved Son, given for our redemption and reconciliation.

Consider the star, but look to the One on whom it shone for the salvation of your soul!

“Chapter 14: The Beginning of the End of the World.” The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C. S. Lewis and Pauline Baynes, HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2014.