The Bright Morning Star

The leaflet said, “The Dark Sky Experience. Meet at 10pm, wear warm clothing and comfortable shoes. Tour will last for about an hour and a half. Meet at dirt track down the road.” Located in the Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve, the largest dark sky reserve in the world we all looked at each other because we caught sight of an adventure of a lifetime. So we signed up. At half past nine however, we were having second thoughts. Was this just another gimmick? Could we cancel and get our money back? Sleep overcame us, one nodded off and looking out at the dark sky from where we stayed, we only saw a couple of bright stars. Surely, this was overrated? But we had paid, so we showed up. We drove down the dirt track to a car park lit only by dull red lights and pulled up. Then, when we stepped out of the car, someone said, “Look up!” A gentle hush came over us as we were drawn and pulled at the sight of a star soaked sky – stars created billion of years ago, stars that spoke of the timelessness of space and another world. The season of Advent pulls and draws us towards a different place in time where God parted the heavens, aligned the stars, filled the dark skies with a new song and etched his own heart on the hearts of people.

Before we began our Dark Sky Experience, we sat through a presentation of a sky filled with stars. “But,” the geeky science guy said, “what you think are stars are actually satellites and space stations. Our skies are filled with rubbish – space junk.” We too can miss the liminal space that Advent offers because there are so many other lights blinding us. Advent invites us to re-shape the rhythms of our lives. It is a hand inviting us a to move to a deeper place of reflection and contemplation. The best place to stargaze is in the wilderness away from any artificial light or sound. So we too learn that the best place to God gaze is the place where we withdraw from the noises around us and choose the inward space.

Outside in the freezing cold, my toes had gone numb. But the science guy invited us to take turns to look into the large telescope. “If you look here you will see Saturn,” he said. I have read about Saturn many times and seen images of it in books and TV so why should I remove my gloves in this crazy cold to hold the telescope? But I did and peered into the telescope. There in the vast sky, Saturn sat like a detailed, careful sketch in someone’s art book. For the first time in my life, I really took notice of Saturn. And the faces of every single person on that chilly night, as they stepped away from the telescope, held a sort of quiet awe at having glimpsed something of the glory of God. Advent is a telescope that invites us to peer into a point in time, deeper and further beyond the nativity story to a time when the earth was covered in darkness. Here, the mystery of time unravels where the ancient One surrounded by glory stepped into our world. We who have heard the nativity story must receive it with both hands, reverently and in awe, because no matter how many Advents we have journeyed through the story of God is still relevant.

Our science friend then pointed out to two bright stars in the sky, “These are called the pointer stars. They point to the constellation of four bright stars that form the shape of a Cross. Ancient sailors who sailed the seas in the southern hemisphere were guided by the Southern Cross to find their way home” he said. Completely blown away by the details of the skies and stars so laden with meaning we came away with grateful, humble hearts because this was no ordinary encounter. Like the pointer stars, Advent points us to the nativity story, it calls us to find our way home to the Father. It re-shapes our thoughts in a world that finds the nativity story offensive. It teaches us to pause, to remove our shoes and stand in this holy season and wait for the birth of the baby. Advent reminds us that there is nothing ordinary about our encounter with God and how, like the shepherds who run to meet the new-born baby, we too must return to that unspeakable joy we first discovered on finding the baby. When we forget the face of God, then we forget our extraordinary encounters with God.

Photo from Tekapo Tourism

Then our guide pointed out Venus to us – the brightest star in the sky. Venus is the bright morning star that heralds light, the breaking of dawn whilst the sky is still dark. In the randomness of life where we hold both joy and anguish, celebration and sorrow, shadows and light, Christ is our bright morning star, who stands in solidarity with us. Emmanuel, God with us is the star that shines brightly when our day and night is shrouded by sorrow. Jesus is the enduring light, who never falters and never wavers no matter what our situation may be. Advent reminds us that Christ is the Light, shining for us in our darkest nights.

Revelation 22:16b – I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.