Searching And Seeking
Where is your True North?
What is it that you keep going back to in order to orient yourself?
What or who has been a reliable Guide on your journey through life?
Long before the North Pole held ideas of silly toymaker elves, flying reindeer, Santa Claus, and Christmas magic…
The North Pole & the North Star was the orienteering center for the whole world.
The vast sailing ships of ancient empires used the “North Star,” named Polaris (which means of the pole or pole star, as in North Pole) as the constant in the night sky.
And before Google Maps, explorers depended on the natural magnetic pull of the “North Pole” to orient their journeys over “field and fountain, moor and mountain.”
All peoples, many on differing journeys, for centuries used the same central guidance system to find their routes toward their desired haven.
The truth is the whole world is still searching for that orienting place today….
They're looking for a sign and portent, a guiding hope among the tumult of nations...
“There are 54 percent of nonbelievers that, in our population today, are what we would call spiritually curious… they are searching, they’re seeking, they believe that there is the possibility of a God they don’t know.” - Mark Matlock, Interview on Think Biblically Podcast
They're searching and seeking. They're wandering through the dark, looking for a sign, a something that will reorient their lives.
And, whether it is in the sciences or in spiritualities, there's a burgeoning hunger in our society for God-with-us.
You'll recall the story from over two thousand years ago when the Magi, who watched for astronomical signs, saw in the stars signs and portents that pointed to the birth of a king in Israel.
Trusting in the tiniest light, they undertook a massive journey to Jerusaelm, and in Bethlehem found the child, Jesus.
And I believe many in our world are on this journey right now.
We may not see them yet.
We may not even know they're coming.
We may totally miss the signs they're tracking (see Matthew 2:3-4).
But just like them, though the journey now seems dark...
The searching and the seeking are, to the Lord, journeys of faith...
They are on a journey that God honors. A journey that God initiates.
And, if they follow to its end, it's a journey that God brings ultimately to the person of Jesus.
And they'll declare, as Simeon prophecies when he meets the baby Jesus,
"For my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles (all those outside of Israel) and for glory to your people Israel” Luke 2:30-32.
Let's prayerfully anticipate that the Spirit of wisdom and revelation will be working in those in and around us this Christmas season who are seeking (Eph 1:7, 2:12-13).
And let's consider how to be the light to the world, for God is already aflame in us.
May we all shine bright in Him this Christmas,
Pastor Dave
PS. Check out this phenomenal free resources on The Bethlehem Star that reveals some really powerful insights and intersections around faith, science, and spirituality, all with Jesus at the center!