The star shines for everyone – do you see it?
As light can hide the night stars from view, the busyness of the world can distract us from beholding the star that shines for everyone – transforming hearts and leading us individually and collectively out of darkness. Van Driessen’s December 16 article in The Daily Star reflects on discerning and following that light. Read the beginning of Driessen’s article below then follow the link for a fuller appreciation of how the star shines for everyone, brightening our world.
It was just another birth, wasn’t it? That baby born to an unwed mother in a village at the edge of the Roman Empire. Nothing for the temples and palaces to take notice of, transfixed as they were by the hard glare of empire and commerce and the trappings of civilization.
And yet, this birth would move the world.
Why did the power brokers and gatekeepers of the age miss what was taking place? Or, in the case of King Herod, attempt to kill what they didn’t understand?
A few wakeful shepherds responded. They heard what others didn’t, a song of angels: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” A light was dawning, far greater than anything people had ever known or even imagined. It began to work a change in human hearts, a revolution of goodness and love still going on.
How often today do we overlook or try to quell what matters most to the welfare of humanity, the things that give meaning? Some say that all religion, including Christianity, is irrelevant, obsolete, outdated in the face of advances in physical science, and losing ground. People of various faiths or no faith at all may sometimes wonder themselves at the darkness when they see houses of worship no longer in use — or what can be worse, failing to live up to their highest ideals.
And yet, the meaning of Bethlehem is for all humanity — for Christians and non-believers and the faithful of other religions.