In the last chapter of the book of Revelation, Jesus calls himself the “Bright Morning Star.” In ancient times, the morning star was thought of as a herald of the new day, signaling the dawn of hope and joy. The brightest object in the sky aside from the sun and moon, it is a fitting type for Christ, who ushers in a new day for the entire world. The Hebrew word for star is kokab (Koe-KAB).
What the Bible refers to as the morning star is actually the planet Venus, known since prehistoric times. As the second planet from the sun, it is also one of the hottest. A relatively young planet, it is Earth’s closest neighbor and is often called our sister planet. Because of its appearance in the eastern sky before dawn, it was thought of as the harbinger of sunrise. The title, “Bright Morning Star” presents a powerful and beautiful image of the One who is also known as “the light of the world.” When you call on Jesus, the Bright Morning Star, you are calling on the One from whom all darkness flees.
Praying to the Bright Morning Star
Have you ever wondered why we celebrate Christmas on December 25? It’s not because we know exactly when Jesus was born. In fact, evidence in Scripture would point to a spring rather than a winter birth date. The church chose December 25 in the early fourth century because that was the day on which some pagan religions celebrated the winter solstice and the birth of the sun. To critics who said that Christians should not celebrate Christmas because of these pagan connotations, supporters would have enlisted the support of a fourth-century bishop, who remarked: "We hold this day holy, not like the pagans because of the birth of the sun, but because of him who made it."
This year as Christmas approached I was struck by how fitting it is that it’s held so close to the winter solstice, the day of the year in the northern hemisphere in which there is the least amount of daylight. It’s a day on which you might be tempted to give up hope that the light will ever return. But of course we don’t. Instead we decorate our homes with light as if we are making a statement of faith about what is to come, believing that the darkness will recede as the light advances.
Listen to the words of 2 Peter 1:19: “Continue to pay attention as you would to a light that shines in a dark place as you wait for day to come and the morning star to rise in your hearts.” “Morning star” translates a word whose literal meaning is “light-bringer.” Born into a sin-darkened world, Jesus is the light-bringer. His is the light that is steadily advancing until one day the darkness will be dispelled.
