Welcome to GracePoint Church, where we are committed to helping you take your next steps toward knowing and serving a holy God of grace and truth.
It is well-known that December 21 is the winter solstice, also known as the shortest day of the year in terms of sunlight. But today we will also mark an astronomical event not seen this clearly since about 800 years ago. It is known as “the great conjunction”. The two largest planets in our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, will appear in their closest alignment since July 16, 1623, and the first time this event will be this easily observed since March 4, 1226.
This alignment will be visible low in the southwest horizon, just after sunset. It is a physical bright spot in what has been a rather challenging year.
I am praying, however, that as millions of people look up at that physical phenomenon in the sky, many hearts will do more than merely think about a scientific wonder in the night sky. I trust God that many will be stirred by Him to look up spiritually and think about the true “light of the world” with the coming of Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Lord.
We don’t know for sure what the “star in the east” (Matthew 2:2) astronomical event was that first led the magi to seek the Messiah around the time of His birth. But we know that God sovereignly arranged both the sign in the sky and their hearts to seek after the One He sent to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Events for all of us over the past 10 months have aligned in a way that invites our best response to likewise “look up” to seek after the truth about God and His purposes in sending Jesus to die for our sins.
Even though patterns of regular indoor church services and gatherings have changed because of the pandemic, the privilege we believers still have this season is to confidently worship God and point ourselves and others to the truth of Jesus Christ, arriving on our planet to be our Savior and Lord.
Each believer should ask himself/herself, “what can I do this week of Christmas to point others upward to the wonderful truth of the coming of our Savior, and what can I do personally to end this year by taking a step closer to joyfully serving God”?
Psalm 123:1 “I will lift my eyes to You, to You who sits enthroned in heaven.”
|
