In the Book of The Revelation to John 21:22-27 we hear, “I saw no temple in the city, its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb…Its gates will never be shut by day–and there will be no night there…But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Following the bright star in seeking our Lord and Savior has been going on for more than 2,000 years. This following of the light is a great draw for us as Jesus was and is certainly a light in the world. God communicated to and opened Himself up to the world through the Light of Christ, His Word.
When the magi came bearing gifts and visited the baby Jesus it was the beginning of Christ’s ministry to all people. It was the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s promise as revealed to the prophets of a kingdom that would have no end. His heavenly kingdom is so awesome that it has no need of sun or moon. Its brightness is a brightness of the glory of God and its lamp is this baby Jesus, the Lamb, to whom the wise men paid tribute and decided not to betray to the jealous earthly king Herod.
Baby Jesus is the spark from heaven that gets a fire going on earth. His life is our introduction to the eternal light that is in heaven, the light that we must all seek. With the negative and hurtful things that go on in the natural world it is hard for us to think of such a place as God’s heaven. With the distractions and pleasures of the natural world we see no reason to turn to Him. Our treasure is put up in the world and there is where we do our seeking.
The prophet Isaiah tells us that, “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory (60:19).” God wants His people to join with Him in His celebration of life everlasting, but we hide in the shadows and in the darkness. We trust in the daylight and darkness more than we trust in the never-ending light of the glory of God.
The three wise men saw the light in the sky and followed it. God made one of His stars rise to mark the birth of His only Son Jesus. We chase many a worldly star and for what? The same rising star that caught the attention of the wise men from the East is still there seeking our attention. The wise men found the baby Jesus with little to go on. We know where He is and how His life turned out. Surely we can find Him in His light.
Robert Halsey Pine was born at Newark, Ohio in 1943. He is a graduate of Northeastern University and completed the program of Theological Education by Extention: Education for Ministry, School of Theology, the University of the South.