On a night so long ago
angels and stars raced across winter skies
to announce,
to proclaim,
to invite,
to beckon.
Yet of all the eyes that turned their gaze toward star-lit heavens that night,
it was but three kings who saw
the sparkle,
the glimmer,
of hope.
And of all the ears that heard the whisper of the wind,
it was but a handful of shepherds who heard
the sonorous melody,
the lilting refrain,
of a promise fulfilled.
How many others looked at that same night sky
but were blind to the rising of a star?
How many others heard that same evening breeze
but were deaf to the song of angels?
Advent is our yearly journey to the stable of Bethlehem:
our chance to follow a star;
our chance to be summoned by an angel;
our chance to trace the familiar footsteps of the shepherds and kings.
It is a time when we must ask ourselves
if our eyes have become too distracted to search the skies for guiding stars,
if our ears have become too complacent to be attuned to angel-song.
Shepherds and Kings,
They are you.
They are me.
Like them, some are poor
others rich.
Some are beckoned by the song of an angel;
others summoned by the brilliance of a star.
Some stumble through the darkness to the stable;
others walk a star-lit path.
And like them, each one of us is called
to see,
to hear,
and to follow.
To travel,
to find,
and to offer praise.
To kneel,
to present our gifts,
and to glorify God for all we have seen and heard.
Shepherds and Kings,
They are you.
They are me.
For like them
it is only when we listen to the whispers of angels
that we can be filled with joy and wonder.
It is only when we follow the star
that we can become wise.
So this Advent,
like the shepherds, let us listen to the promptings of angels.
Like the Kings, let us be beckoned by a star;
And with them,
let us find our place
at the stable of Bethlehem.
