The Christmas Star

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. I'm James Banks and I titled our reading, The Christmas Star. If you find that star, you can always find your way home. Those were my father's words when he taught me how to locate the North Star as a child. Dad had served in the armed forces during wartime and there were moments when his life depended on being able to navigate by the night sky. So he made sure I knew the names and locations of several constellations, but it was being able to find Polaris that mattered most of all.

Knowing that star's location meant I could gain a sense of direction wherever I was and find where I was supposed to be. Scripture tells of another star of vital importance. Magi from the East, learned men from an area encompassed by Iran and Iraq today, had been watching for signs in the sky of the birth of the one who was to be God's king for his people. They came to Jerusalem asking, 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. Astronomers don't know what caused the Star of Bethlehem to appear, but the Bible reveals that God created it to point the world to Jesus, the bright morning star. Christ came to save us from our sins and guide us back to God.

Follow him and you'll find your way home. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Matthew chapter 2 verses 1 to 5 and 7 to 12. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the time of King Herod, Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, 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. When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. In Bethlehem in Judea, they replied, for this is what the prophet has written.

Now picking up at verse 7. Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, go and search carefully for the child.

As soon as you find him, report to me so that I too may go and 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. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. Let's pray together. Jesus, thank you for being the way to our forever home in heaven. Please help guide us by your light today. In your name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is James Banks, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.