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Advent: Christmas Day "The Wise Way"

When have you "followed your star?" What do you think God is guiding you to do right now in your life?

by David Joynt on December 25, 2016


THE WISE WAY: FOLLOW YOUR STAR!
MATTHEW 2:1-2

Life begins with the willingness to go. The prophets learned of God's calling and said, "Here I am, send me." The disciples heard Jesus say "Come and follow" and they did. The wise men, experts in astrology, noticed a powerful portent in their astronomical observations, a signal that a great new event was coming to Palestine. They decided to follow the star and go on a journey. When God guides, we must act. The Christian way is not waiting for life to begin later in heaven, it is a holy adventure that begins now, with acts of dedication, love, and service. Our growth and transformation depends on our willingness to act on
God's direction. When he invites us, calls us, nudges us, opens a door for us, creates an opportunity for us, or sends a star, we must act. Otherwise, our life is played out in the shadows and the shallows.

When have you "followed your star?"
What do you think God is guiding you to do right now in your life?

FAMILY TIME: Take a look at the stars tonight and get each person to offer a short “prayer upon a star.”

Tags: advent, wise

About the Author
David Joynt

Dave Joynt began his service as a pastor at Valley Presbyterian Church in Paradise Valley, Arizona in September 2014. This meant a move away from the Northeast, where he has a long history, growing up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and then serving congregations in Delaware and New Jersey for a total of 23 years.

Dave was nurtured in a great church in Bethlehem where his parents, Anne and Carey, served as elders. He graduated in classics from Lehigh University where his Father taught, and then from Oxford, where he met his wife Julia. Ordained in 1988, he completed a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1993.

He and Julia have a son, Tristan, and a daughter, Madeleine.

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