大象传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Bishop David Walker

(Epiphany) - following a star

Good morning

In the Western Christian calendar, today is the Feast of the Epiphany. A day to remember the visit of wise men, from lands far in the East, bringing gifts to the baby Jesus. In the bible, Matthew tells of how they were led to their destination by a star. One whose rays of light had newly appeared in the sky, perhaps, we might now surmise, a result of some interstellar explosion millennia before.

Navigation by the stars was, until very recent times, a mainstay of long distance mariners. Even today, whenever I start my car, the map that lights up on the screen, showing my exact location, does so courtesy of signals received from beyond the Earth鈥檚 atmosphere. The main difference is that radio waves from satellites have replaced starlight. But on a dark and foggy winter鈥檚 night, it has been the only thing keeping me from being totally lost.

Those ancient astrologers knew, if they were to find their way, they must lift up their eyes beyond mere earthly things. It鈥檚 a feature they share with my satnav, and one I seek consciously to cultivate for myself, through the practice of my faith. When I read the stories of Jesus in my bible, or seek to find God鈥檚 presence through prayer, I too am seeking direction from beyond; believing that my own knowledge and understanding, ethics and values, are rendered more true by what I encounter in the divine.

And so today I pray. May the lost discover their proper place, the confused find clarity of direction, and may the God who patterns the nightly sky with stars, help all who seek his guidance, to find and follow the right path, this day.

Amen.