The Bright Morning Star

What’s in a name? A name is more than just something by which we are called; in a sense, it is our reputation. Did you know there are a multitude of names for God? Each name unique and powerful; the list is endless.

Join us on this exciting adventure through Scripture, where we will learn some amazing verses, talk about how those verses should affect our lives, and discuss some practical ways to make these names “real”.

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“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” – Revelation 22:16

I like star-gazing. It has been a dream of mine to own a telescope; stars are truly incredible. There is nothing quite like peering into the vast heavens to help you realize just how tiny you are and just how big our God is.

Here in Revelation, we are reminded of yet another name for Christ; the bright Morning Star. I am no expert, but I wonder if there is some significance in this?

Most of us start our day with the rising of the sun, or pretty close to it. Perhaps this is yet another reminder to begin our day with Him and not just a cup of coffee. He wants to be the first thing we think of when we wake up and the last thing we think of before we go to bed. He should be the Light in our lives; the very thing that gets us moving.

The sun is the center of our solar system; we build our days, months, years, and seasons around it. Again, perhaps He is trying to remind us of something important. He should be the center of our world. All our decisions should be made with Him at the center; with all things pointing to Him.

During Christmas, stars are everywhere. We put them on our houses and the tops of trees. This is the perfect reminder that He is present; waiting for us to acknowledge the miraculous gift He has given.

As we continue through our series of “What’s in A Name?”, I want to continually bring my children back to the real purpose of this season. I want them to understand that He is the center, the focus, of Christmas. This is His story, not ours. It is Him we should be thinking of, not ourselves, and it is Him we should be seeking to bless.

Always looking to give my kids some hands-on application, I thought we’d make some stars to hang in the house. Nothing complex, just a simple art project to be a seasonal reminder of a year-round concept.

Making paper stars is so easy! I created a star template in Photoshop and printed it out. The kiddos cut out their template and then traced its shape onto decorative paper. (I wanted to be clever, so we used music sheets.) To make the stars more dimensional, we used a bone folder and added some depth to each star. They took very little time to put together and the kids had a lot of fun.

Hanging them was just as easy. I had some clear string on hand from a previous jewelry job. We used a crafting hole punch with a very small hole and then used our string. We hung them from the kids’ bedroom ceilings.

What a lovely way to remember both our verse and the lesson. May Christ continue to be the Star we follow, no matter where it leads; all year round.