One of the things I’m looking forward to in 2024 is spending time at Camp Walter Scott, which is the camp and learning center owned and operated by First Christian Church and the other congregations of the Illinois-Wisconsin region.
Camp is such an important experience for young people. It enriches the lives of youth, and strengthens congregational ministry.
One of my very favorite things to do when I’m at camp is to take campers out at night to a dark place, and look at the stars.
I tell the campers that, for thousands of years, humans have gazed up at the stars. People throughout history, in countless generations, watched the stars…night after night…season after season; and after observing the stars night after night, season after season, they began to notice some things.
First, they noticed that all the stars moved together across the sky, rising in the east, and setting in the west, much like the sun; and that the path that they followed was an arc, with Polaris, the north star, at the center.
Those ancient observers also noticed that, if they used their imagination, they could see shapes and images in the stars. They imagined animals, gods, and mythological creatures.
At this point, at camp, I would point out a few of these constellations: Ursa Major (the Big Dipper); Scorpio; the constellations of the Summer Triangle…
And every night, all these constellations move together across the sky, rising and setting four minutes earlier each night; for this reason, some of them are seen more easily in one season, and others are seen more easily in other seasons.
It all follows a predictable pattern.
But ancient people noticed that a few of the stars they saw didn’t follow this pattern. These few stars seemed to follow their own paths.
And maybe, in one season, these stars would be located in one constellation, but as the seasons changed, so did the position of these few stars. Sometimes, these stars would even appear to move in one direction for a while, but then stop, and move in a different direction.
The ancient Babylonians were the first to realize that these wandering stars weren’t stars at all, but something else entirely. Eventually they were given the name planets, from a Greek word that means “wanderer.”
Ancient people also saw comets, which looked like stars, but with tails, and which also seemed to follow their own paths.
And, generation after generation, people would continue observing the night sky, learning more about the wonders of the universe God created.
In today’s scripture story, magi came from the east to Jerusalem, looking for Jesus. They were guided by a star, which they had been observing.
I don’t know if this star that they saw was actually a planet, or if it was a comet, or what. Many have speculated over the years about this particular star.
And, in Matthew’s gospel, it could be that this story is more parable than historical account. I’m not sure that Matthew even knew the difference between a star, a planet, and a comet.
But, as Matthew describes it, these magi were observers of the stars, and they came to Jerusalem and, eventually, to Bethlehem, following this particular star, which seemed to follow its own path, and which was leading them to the “king of the Jews.”
Now, there’s a lot more to this story. It sets up the conflict between the kingdom of Herod, and the kingdom of God, a conflict that is central to the gospel.
And we could talk without end about how much of this story is literal and historical, and how much is parable and metaphor.
Nevertheless, I am fascinated by the story of these magi, travelers from a far away land—foreigners who probably didn’t even worship the God of Abraham—following a star a long distance, a star that didn’t move like all the other stars, a star which followed its own path, and guided them to Jesus.
I’m fascinated that the star led them to Jerusalem, led them to Herod, led them to Jesus—yet the star didn’t guide them to the temple. Last week, I talked about how the temple was the most magnificent house of worship on earth. Yet the temple doesn’t even appear in this story.
And I wonder how tempted I would be, if I were one of those magi following this star, to take a little side trip, to visit the temple. What better place is there in the ancient world to take a selfie and post on social media? A picture that says, “look at me, I’m at the temple!”
But these magi were not distracted by that. They were intent on following the star.
One of the brightest stars in the sky—and one that’s easy for me to find and point out to campers at summer camp—is Arcturus. That’s what we call it; but in Hawaiian, the name of that star is Hokulea, which is a Hawaiian word that means “star of joy.”
Not long ago, a group of modern-day Hawaiians from the Polynesian Voyaging Society built a traditional Polynesian canoe—the first canoe built in the traditional Polynesian way in over 600 years. When it came time to pick a name for their canoe, they named it after this star. They named their canoe Hokulea, since Hokulea was a star that guided ancient Polynesian voyagers.
In 2017, I had the opportunity to lead a group of youth from the Pacific Southwest Region on a trip to Hawaii. We learned about Hokulea (the canoe), and how its crew had to re-learn, almost from scratch, the ancient way of navigating. They learned to navigate by the stars and the sun. No compass, no GPS. Just sailing their canoe, like Moana, across the vast ocean.
Their goal was to prove that ancient Polynesians were expert navigators, that they were capable of pinpoint accuracy in their navigation. Compared to the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, the Hawaiian Islands are so small. Finding them in a canoe without a compass or GPS would be as hard as finding a needle in a haystack. Some doubted that anyone, ancient or modern, could do that, guided only by the stars. Yet the crew of the Hokulea was determined to prove that it could be done.
Hokulea’s first voyage, from Hawaii to Tahiti, was a great success.
Then, Hokulea set sail for a three-year, around-the-world voyage—again, using only the stars to guide them.
When Hokulea returned from that three-year, around-the-world voyage, its arrival was the biggest cultural event in modern Hawaiian history. It was a symbol of the rebirth of Hawaiian culture. 30,000 people were there at the waterfront, to welcome Hokulea and her crew back to Hawaii.
And among those 30,000 people was our little group of Disciples from southern California.
Hokulea’s journey is an inspiration to people all over the world. In Chicago, there is an organization called the Hokulea Academy of Polynesian Arts. On their website it says that they are inspired by “Hokulea, the star of gladness, which guided early Polynesian explorers to the shores of Hawaii.”
One of the reasons Hokulea’s journey is so inspiring is that navigating a canoe by following the stars is no easy task. Remember that scene in Moana where she dozes off, and all of a sudden, her canoe is going in the wrong direction? It’s hard to stay focused!
The same is true in life. It’s so easy to get distracted, to lose our focus, to lose our way, to lose sight of what it is that is guiding us.
So often, we chase after other things…we find ourselves being guided by other things…
Think back to the year that has just passed. In 2023, what was it that guided you? What “star” did you follow?
Was it leading you to Jesus? Was it leading you to love? Was it leading you to wholeness?
Or not?
How often were you tempted to follow other things? Other distractions? How often did you stray from the path you knew God was calling you to?
What star did you follow? What purpose guided you? What was your goal, your mission, your purpose? What was your “why,” your reason for doing what you do?
For the past five years, I have given out stars on the Sunday closest to Epiphany— stars with words on them—because I realized that we all could use a little help when it comes to navigating through life. Today, we have a basket full of stars, and you are invited to take one. You can take it when you come up for communion, or you can come up after worship and grab it then.
If you are worshiping with us online, you can wait until the next time you are here in person to get your star… or, we have set up an alternative way for you to get a star-word, which you can find on our Facebook page…
Each star has a different word. The hope is that the word on your star will, in some way, help guide you on your faith journey in the coming year.
Maybe your star (and the word on your star) is a reminder to give thanks for how God guides you. Maybe your star is encouraging you to focus more on whatever word appears on it. I’m not telling you how your star or your word should guide you. That’s for you to figure out.
But if you ever have trouble praying, maybe the word on your star is a good word to focus on as you pray.
And if you’re not sure where your faith journey is leading you - if, on some days you aren’t sure what to believe anymore, or you aren’t even sure that you do believe anymore - maybe the word on your star can help.
If your heart is filled with fear, or anxiety, or doubt - perhaps your star can help with that.
Your star word may be a challenge, or an affirmation, or a comfort. That’s for you to figure out.
But hopefully, it helps guide you in some way, as you journey through the coming year.
So when you take your star, don’t try to pick out a particular word. I heard a clergy friend of mine who also gives out star words at Epiphany say that the magi didn’t choose their star, the star chose them. Reach in to the basket and try to select a star without looking at the word. Look at the word after you’ve pulled your star from the basket.
Take your star home. Place it where you will see it every day. I don’t know how much help it will be to you, but who knows? Maybe it will guide you to something as profound and wonderful as the star that guided those magi all those years ago.
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