Who is Your Star?

"WHO IS YOUR STAR?"

a message by Rev. Dr. Bruce Havens

Coral Isles Church, U.C.C.

December 24, 2024

Luke 2:1-20 NRSV

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place in the guest room.

 Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom God favors!”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them, 19 and Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.

  Are you a star – gazer? Down here in the Keys, on those moonless nights, you can see a lot of stars.  I don’t know if it is darker here or just seems like it, but you can see a lot of stars.  I can pick out a few, but I’m no expert.  Or maybe you are into astrology rather than astronomy.  You read your horoscope and feel in touch with the universe with that.  Stars are fascinating things, if you study them enough.  I read somewhere you can see roughly 2,000 stars in the night sky in the Florida Keys.

The Christmas story has a star in it.  We didn’t read it tonight.  It’s the one about the 3 wise men, or kings, or the magi, or whatever you want to call them.  Some scholars think they might have been early astrologers.  Others think they might have been more like scientists.  We don’t really know.  We don’t know if there were 3 or 30, and we don’t know if they were men or not.  The Bible doesn’t say.  What it does say is they followed a star.  The Gospel of Matthew put it this way:

“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet.”

          Now we act like they showed up the night Jesus was born, but it doesn’t exactly say that either. But of course, our nativities always include them, don’t they?  That’s why I brought these fellas up here tonight.  But here’s my point tonight.  I think Christmas invites all of us to decide WHO is our star?

Our culture is obsessed with “stars,” isn’t it? I’m at that point where I don’t even know who the “biggest” stars in Hollywood or in the music industry or whereever stars come from anymore.  But I believe Christmas invites us to choose one particular star to follow, like those wise magi of old.  I believe Christmas invites us to follow Jesus.

When I was a teenager, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice called Jesus a “superstar.” They wrote that fabulous musical about him. Whether you liked the concept or not I thought the music was pretty cool.  It made me want to know more about this Jesus.  I read the Bible more, thought about him more, decided to try to live my life more like him.  Not saying how successful I have been, but it was a choice.  Jesus became my guiding star. 

Christmas, of course, focuses on the birth of Jesus.  But what made his birth important was how he led people as a grown-up man.  The stories of his birth were only written long after his life.  Baby Jesus grew up.  Ricky Bobby aside, Baby Jesus only matters, is only worth praying to, if we recognize Baby Jesus became Jesus, the Christ.  The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are what made his birth important enough to write about.  So while I am not here to put a damper on anyone’s celebrations, I hope I can encourage you to consider following that star, following the way of Jesus in the days between now and next Christmas. 

We can follow a lot of “stars.”  We can follow the latest Hollywood star, or political star, or star athlete, but most of us are old enough to recognize that it is folly.  We may not be wise men or women traveling on camels with frankincense, gold, and myrrh, but we know what people call “stars” these days really can’t lead us to a meaningful life.  You are here tonight because in some way you know there is one star worth following.

As you celebrate alone or with others, I invite you think about that star, Jesus Christ.  He came to us as a human, suffered everything we suffer as a human, including rejection and death.  But tonight, the invitation is to look up and know that every star can be a reminder that following the way, the love, of Jesus in everything we do is what makes life worthwhile.

He came that we might see and know the embodiment of love.  His birth is a wonderful thing to celebrate.  The greatest way we can celebrate is to be the star in someone else’s night sky: to bring light where there is darkness, hope where there is despair, and love where there is emptiness or hatred, that is the greatest celebration of Jesus’ birth.  Let us go and celebrate, let us follow his star, his light, and so doing bring his light to life in everyone we touch.

What I really hope is that, while I want you to set your sights on Jesus, and to follow his star like those wise guys from long ago, so to speak, don’t just be a star-gazer.  Be a star in your own life, shining with the light of Christ’s love.  You are all stars, stars of that never-ending, better-than-Broadway, show called life.  Shine with the light of Jesus, that superstar born on Christmas.  Jesus was, and is, the love of God embodied and we, too, can embody that.  His star still shines.  Follow it.  Follow it so close that others see his light shining from you always in every noisy day or silent night.  AMEN.