The Nativity: A Christmas Countdown Devotionalنمونہ

# Star of Bethlehem On the clearest of nights without a cloud in sight, far away from the bustle of urban life, the universe is revealed. Suddenly you have the ability to see stars that are quintillions of miles away. If you could stand in a field, away from city lights, you would feel enveloped by the darkness. It wouldn’t be scary; it would be mystifying. It would almost feel like you were floating as billions of stars glistened around you. Faintly, you would see a cloud-like ribbon weaving in the sky—the Milky Way Galaxy. > And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.' And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. > Genesis 1:14-18 ESV God of the universe—He’s much bigger than we can imagine. He hung each of those stars in the vast expanse of the skies. And that expanse? It goes on forever. He made that. Like an artist with a blank canvas or a writer with a blank page, God created something beautiful out of nothing. In Jesus’ time, both Jews and gentiles studied the stars and charted their paths. Seasonal patterns of stars would show the passage of time as the earth journeyed around the sun. In the day, travelers would know in which direction to travel by the course of the sun, but at night, they followed the stars. > A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel… > Numbers 24:17 Just as suddenly as the angels had appeared before the shepherds, a star caught the attention of the magi—one that had never existed before. These wise men eagerly followed the star into Israel, to Jerusalem for they knew that it was a sign of the promised King. Surely they would find the King in the palace of the capital city of Israel. Instead, their arrival and their inquiries of the newborn King led King Herod to fear that this child had arrived to steal his throne. Not everyone would be excited about the rise of the King of the Jews. King Herod’s priests remembered the ancient prophecies that said that Christ would be born in Bethlehem. Herod hoped the magi would bring more news about the baby, so he sent them on their way. As the magi traveled from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, the magnificent star led the way. The light shone brightly in the darkness, a parallel to the Light that would defeat the darkness of the world. Jesus had come. The wise men were overjoyed by this sign from God for their search to find the new King had ended. And they bowed down to worship Him. > The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you… > Isaiah 9:2-3 [IMAGE CONTENT]