When I was a little girl, my grandfather would take me to look at the stars. I would look up, and gaze at the vast black sky broken by the small twinkling lights. The stars were few, but the longer you looked, the more stars you could see, until the sky was ablaze with light. Some nights the sky would be cloudy, without a star in sight, but we would always go out to see if we could see the stars shining.

The world we live in can often seem dark and suffocating. You just need to take a quick glance at the newspaper to see that our world is broken. However, there are still places where we can find light in our everyday lives. Friends, family, a good book, a moving piece of music, a mother’s gentle touch, a stranger who smiles at you. These are our stars living here on earth. Little pinpricks of light fighting their way to be seen through the darkness.

Darkness helps us to see light, and light makes darkness less foreboding. It is easy to allow darkness to swallow us up, but we are given a choice. We can choose to focus on the light in the world, or we can focus on the darkness. The book of Isaiah says that “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined” (Isaiah 9:2, King James Bible). I have thought about this quote many times and believe Isaiah is  saying that those who have been hurt, and have experienced darkness are better able to recognise and value light in their lives because of their pain. We all experience terrible darkness in our lives, but what separates people is how they deal with that darkness. The choice to let darkness consume you, or to help people who are experiencing darkness see the light, is always there.

When I think of light, I think of joy, hope, and love.

Love.

Love is at the very heart of Christianity. I believe that love is when you know someone's faults, the worst, the weakest part of a person, yet still care for them, and are willing to stand by their side through anything. I am particularly blessed to have amazing friends and family who know all my faults, recognise them, and teach me how to be better.

One of my favorite books and movies is Stardust by Neil Gaiman. It centers around a star who fell to earth, but instead of being a cold rock, it is a young woman. The stars must watch our world, they have no choice, and the star, Yvaine, talks about how she views the world: “You know when I said I knew little about love? Well that wasn't true. I know a lot about love. I've seen it. I've seen centuries and centuries of it. And it was the only thing that made watching your world bearable. All those wars. Pain and lies. Hate. Made me want to turn away and never look down again. But to see the way that mankind loves. I mean, you can search the furthest reaches of the universe and never find anything more beautiful.” Love is what makes us who we are. When we love someone, we learn from them. We take the experience of loving that person through our everyday lives, and then that person stays with us forever, no matter how far away.

    Christmas is a time of light, and love. Carolers go door to door. Christmas carols are playing in stores. People are buying presents for loved ones. It is hard to not let the joy of Christmas affect you. I feel the excitement of the upcoming season in every smile, hug, and greeting. During this christmas season, we need to remember that God loves us so much, that he gave us the most glorious gift he could give, and marked it with a star.

    As this Christmas time approaches, take time to think  about the light in your lives: the people whom you  love, and the circumstances for which you are grateful. And as you leave the church tonight, take a second to look up at the sky, and give thanks for the stars in your life.

Amen