"We observed his star at its rising,
and have come to pay him homage."
—Matthew 2.2
For every one of you wandering in the darkness, there is a beautiful inner star to guide you.
Remember the wonders of the ways God guides us. God sent the Magi a star to guide them to the Infant; it guided them across rough country, through dangerous landscapes of deserts and stark, forbidding cliffs, through valleys of the shadow of death. Through even more dangerous inner landscapes of self-doubt, exhaustion, and despair. Day after day as they struggled to find their way, they looked for the star as clouds obscured it and fiery suns eclipsed its pale presence.
You have as much worth to God as the Magi. Remember the wonder of how God guides you!
For every one of you trapped in the darkness, there is an inner daily star to guide you, an individual, beautiful star come forth to meet your need, for the Lord knows the depths and desires of your heart.
A star of faith, for the star and the Infant both exist.
A star of hope, for the Infant belongs to you, and you belong to the Infant.
A star of love, for God's guidance is sure, and abiding.
A star of courage, for you to continue in spite of and because of your tears.
A star of wisdom, for choosing the day's right path.
A star of patience, for the journey is life-long, the Infant revealed in your heart at the beginning of your life in the womb, and then again in splendor in your last breath.
Jan Richardson, poet and artist, shares this meditation:
Where the Map Begins
A Blessing for Epiphany
This is not
any map you know.
Forget longitude.
Forget latitude.
Do not think
of distances
or of plotting
the most direct route.
Astrolabe, sextant, compass:
these will not help you here.
This is the map
that begins with a star.
This is the chart
that starts with fire,
with blazing,
with an ancient light
that has outlasted
generations, empires,
cultures, wars.
Look starward once,
then look away.
Close your eyes
and see how the map
begins to blossom
behind your lids,
how it constellates,
its lines stretching out
from where you stand.
You cannot see it all,
cannot divine the way
it will turn and spiral,
cannot perceive how
the road you walk
will lead you finally inside,
through the labyrinth
of your own heart
and belly
and lungs.
But step out
and you will know
what the wise who traveled
this path before you
knew:
the treasure in this map
is buried
not at journey’s end
but at its beginning.
—Jan Richardson
from Circle of Grace
© Jan Richardson. janrichardson.com.” For other uses, visit Copyright Permissions.
Through hallowed days and hollowed out nights, your only task is to follow the star ever before you, burned into your consciousness because it is real and true and precious. The star which leads you to the Infant who lives within each heart, awaiting your coming. The star which carries you within its pure, refining fire. The star which brings you where you'd rather not go, but know that you must.
Quietly meditate on the gift of this star...
Concentrate on the star, burning within you. See how it pulses. Feel its solidity, its warmth, its faithfulness. Whisper your thanks to the Lord, whose herald the star is. Feel the Lord grasp your hand in the darkness and lead you forward by the star's light. Hear Him tell you He will never desert you. Hear angelic voices sing to encourage you
O Star of wonder, star of night.
Star with royal beauty bright.
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect Light.....