One planet, one star, one Savior
There are 8 planets in our solar system, and NASA estimates that there are at least 100 billion planets in our Milky Way galaxy. God decided to make Earth habitable, and to create man to live on this particular planet.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth” (Genesis 1:1). Why is Earth singled out in the first verse of the Bible? Why is this one planet so much more important to God than all the other planets in the Universe?
Theoretical physicist Paul Davies said, “Scientists are slowly waking up to an inconvenient truth - the Universe looks suspiciously like a fix. The issue concerns the very laws of nature themselves … Change any one of them and the consequences would be lethal.”
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Fred Hoyle, the distinguished cosmologist, once said, it was as if “a super-intellect has monkeyed with physics.”
Frank Tipler is an American mathematical physicist and cosmologist, and the author of The Physics of Christianity. Tipler said, “When I began my career as a cosmologist some 20 years ago, I was a convinced atheist. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that one day I would be writing a book purporting to show that the central claims of Judeo-Christian theology are in fact true, that these claims are straightforward deductions of the laws of physics as we now understand them. I have been forced into these conclusions by the inexorable logic of my own special branch of physics.”
James Joule, propounder of the first law of thermodynamics, was a devout Christian. Joule said, “It is evident that an acquaintance with natural laws means no less than an acquaintance with the mind of God therein expressed."
In addition to one planet, God used one star in His divine drama to point the way to the Messiah.
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him' ... the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him" (Matthew 2:1-2; 9-11).
With billions of stars in the Milky Way, God selected one of these stars, or some other heavenly body or extraordinary stellar event, to guide the Magi to the exact location of the Savior's birth.
Dr. D. James Kennedy said, "The star of Bethlehem was a star of hope that led the wise men to the fulfillment of their expectations, the success of their expedition. Nothing in this world is more fundamental for success in life than hope, and this star pointed to our only source for true hope: Jesus Christ.”
The most important piece of the equation is not one planet or one star, but one Savior. “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus because he will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
The Incarnation involved God taking on human nature in order to ultimately be sacrificed on the cross for sinful man. “Bethlehem and Golgotha, the manger and the cross, the birth, and the death, must always be seen together” (J. Sidlow Baxter).
The Apostle Peter proclaimed, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
One planet, one star, one Savior.
George Truett said, “Christ was born in the first century, yet He belongs to all centuries. He was born a Jew, yet He belongs to all races. He was born in Bethlehem, yet He belongs to all countries.”
Do you marvel at the splendor of the Universe, while failing to see the glory of the babe born in Bethlehem? Nature confirms that there is a God, but you will need to know the Savior if you desire to be reconciled to God (John 8:19; 10:14; 14:7).
Robert Baer said, “Bethlehem was God with us, Calvary was God for us, and Pentecost is God in us.” Everything is lined up for you to believe in Christ as your Savior. God arranged one planet, one star, and one Savior so that you could enjoy an eternal relationship with your Creator.
Like the wise men, will you approach Bethlehem in humility? Will you bow down in repentance and worship the King as you receive Christ by faith? If you refuse to open God’s gift to you this Christmas, you may never again be presented with this opportunity.
Like a shooting star in the sky, this window in time to meet the Messiah will come and go. Spiritual blindness and the curse of sin cause people to reject God’s free gift of forgiveness and perfection in Paradise (2 Cor. 4:4; Romans 6:23). Why not break the spell today as you reach out to God with these words from your heart:
“God of Heaven and Earth. Your majestic wonders are far above my capacity to fully appreciate them. I believe you came here Jesus to die on the cross for my sins, and then rise on the third day. Wash away my sins. I desire to follow you as my Lord and Savior. You are the only one who can save me Jesus. Forgive me, lead me, and fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit in order to live as your disciple. Amen.”
In the words of the marvelous Christmas hymn: “O come all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.”
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
