Stargazing!

One of the things I love about being up in the mountains during the summer is time spent out on a clear night doing a bit of stargazing. Yes, the stars are beautiful here at home, but we often don’t realize how few of them we actually get to see because of the brightness of the lights of the city and surrounding area. Up in the Adirondacks, however, there is little manmade light at night. There the darkness can seem thick and intense. The result is, the number of visible stars just seems to multiply. And not only do we get to see more stars, but the Milky Way is visible, shooting stars are common, and one can follow the satellites across the sky.  It can be absolutely spectacular!  When I am there, I could spend hours just stargazing! 

Last weekend at PIF (Promise International Fellowship), I reminded our congregation that God has called us to “shine like stars.”  Actually the Apostle Paul wrote these words to the Philippians, “Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life….” (Philippians 2:14-16 – NIV) 

It is true that the world in which we live is a world that is very “crooked and depraved.”  Evil is all around us. There are so many things that do not make sense.  The news seems to get worse by the day. (Yesterday, in fact, we remembered one of the darkest days in the history of our nation.) But the fact is, the darker the environment, the brighter and more visible are the stars. Thus, the darkness of our world becomes our opportunity as followers of Christ, to shine even more brightly for him as we live our lives “blameless and pure,” as we minister to others out of hearts of compassion and generosity, and as we “hold out the word of life.” 

The question I would like to bring to us today is simply this: In the midst of the darkness of our world do our lives offer any light? As people interact with you and me, do they experience any part of the light of Christ? 

Rather than complain about the darkness, let’s penetrate it with the light of Jesus Christ!  Jesus said, “….let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 – NIV)

Let’s give the people around us a reason to do a bit of stargazing! 

Have a great day!

Pastor Tim Harris

www.pifny.org