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True
North
If
a person were to stand today at the North Pole and
look up, there would appear
to be a star directly over his head.
This is aptly called a “pole star” because
it is approximately aligned with the Earth’s axis of
rotation. The
current northern pole star is the star Polaris.
On
a clear night in the Northern Hemisphere when the
stars are shining brightly, Polaris is not difficult
to spot. If
one can find what many call “The Big Dipper” (part
of the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear), he
can use the “pointer stars” which are the stars
furthest from the “handle” to find Polaris.
Beginning from the star at the “bottom” of
the “bowl” and imagining a line through the other
star, the line will point to Polaris, a few degrees
lower in the sky than the Big Dipper.
(Recently, the Fourth Grade classes of Mobile
(AL) Christian School and their chaperones (including
this author and his daughter Haley) saw this
demonstrated at the Montgomery City Planetarium in
Montgomery, AL.)
Polaris
is also known as the
North Star, not only because it is currently
the northern pole star, but also because it can be
used to find the direction of north and to determine
latitude. The
North Star always appears due north in the night sky,
and the angle it makes with respect to the horizon is
equal to the latitude of the observer.
Throughout the history of humanity, the North
Star has been used as a point of navigation by
mariners, shepherds, and travelers.
For example…
“Chaldean
shepherds, ranging trackless fields
Beneath the concave of unclouded skies
Spread like a sea, in boundless solitude,
Looked on the pole star, as on a guide
And guardian of their course, that never closed
His steadfast eye.”
–
William Wordsworth in “Excursion”
The
stars, the constellations, and their intricate design
reveal the incredible power and majesty of the God who
created them.
“Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who
brings out their host by number; He calls them all by
name, By the greatness of His might And the strength
of His power; Not one is missing” (Isaiah
40:26).
Yet,
God has revealed through His Word that His ultimate
will for us – our “true north
” –
cannot be found in the STARS,
but through His SON
Jesus, the “Bright and Morning Star”
(Revelation 22:16).
God
gave His Son to die on the cross for our sins so
that we might have forgiveness and live eternally with
Him when this life is over (Ephesians 1:7). These blessings are available only through Christ.
Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John
14:6). We
may follow Jesus and go to the Father when we submit
our lives to Him in faith
(Acts 16:30-31) and repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), confessing
Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized
(immersed) in His name for the forgiveness of sins
(Acts 2:38).
Don’t
look to the STARS
to find “TRUE
North."
Rather,
“fix your eyes on JESUS, the author and
perfecter of our faith..., who for the joy set
before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”
(Hebrews 12:2), and thereby opened the Way to the
Heaven of heavens for YOU and me.
--
David
A. Sargent, Minister
Church
of Christ at Creekwood
1901
Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
* Information gleaned from http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/
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