DAY 1

A Star of Joy

After Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. They asked, “Where is the baby who was born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east. We came to worship him.” - Matthew 2:1-2

The star and the wise men usually make an appearance towards the end of the familiar Christmas story. They are late arrivals! Sometimes it can feel like things are taking too long to happen!

Last night, I listened to a worship song called, ‘Like a candle’ by Graham Kendrick. A phrase in the song says ‘..stars and angels sing…’ I wondered what would the voice of a star sound like? Could the wise men hear a song of joy coming from the star? A song reaching across light years.

And perhaps, particularly at this time, when we are in the midst of a long, unfamiliar and sorrowful journey through a global pandemic, we may well be looking for signs of hope and wishing the stars would sing to us.

So I am glad to get to Advent and begin the journey towards the celebration of Christmas. Christ has come into the world. His birth reminds us to believe that God wants to be close to us. There’s a song of love travelling towards you, to woo you towards hope this Christmas.