I had never seen this before and was captivated. My location was remote enough and far enough away from the ambient light of any urban area, that the darkness allowed me to see stars that had been previously unnoticeable to me. I have heard that out at sea, you can see the sky as never before.
When Paul was writing to the church at Philippi, he entreated these followers of Christ to live without grumbling and bickering so they would shine like stars, blazing bright among a generation of corrupt and immoral people. Of course, we recall Jesus imploring us to be salt and light to the world, but this analogy from Paul’s letter from a prison cell may be unknown to some or not as easily remembered by others. Perhaps this may no longer be the case for those of you reading now.
We who put our very lives into the scarred hands of Jesus today should also shine as stars. We can do so at a ti
me in history that at periods seems very dark. As the world becomes darker under the smothering cloak of sin, we in contrast appear even brighter. As sin continues to take its toll on the world around us, we who follow the very One who called the universe into existence are luminous to those who hunger for the Way. Just like that band of stars that covered the coastal North Carolina sky, we can blaze out to the people in the darkness around us and beyond as we “hold out the word of life” for them to ponder and pursue. So take heart when the world is dark, because out of the darkness, God’s Spirit blazes forth from us, offering hope to a broken world. Shine on, brothers and sisters.
