By Rev. Dr. Ed Hird

Every Christmas, the Star gets our attention year in and year out.  What is it about the Bethlehem Star that never fails to shine?  What is it about the Bethlehem story that captures the imagination of billions of people throughout Canada and the entire globe?

Two thousand years after the birth of Jesus, we are still bearing gifts, following that star.  If it was not for the wise men, none of us would be doing our Christmas shopping.  It is amazing how much energy we can put into Christmas, buying gifts, cooking turkeys, throwing parties.  Sometimes we can in our busyness forget that we are called to follow that star. As that Christmas Carol put it, “O star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect light.”

There is something very moving about perfect light, royal beauty bright light in the midst of a people living in great darkness.  December can be a time of great hopes and great stress.  No wonder that it is the high holiday of many alcoholics.  December is that time when fragmented families try once again to reconnect, however painfully.  Why do so many families watch the classic movie It’s a Wonderful Life every Christmas?  Perhaps it is because this movie captures the darkness and struggle that so many families experience at Christmas, and yet how the Christmas Star can still break in with unimaginable light and hope.

Each of us, as the Carol puts it, may choose to look up and see a star, that to the earth it gives great light.  Each of us can choose to see the Christmas Star, Whose glory shines so far day and night.  Each of us can find great delight in the beauty of the Christmas Star that led the wise men to Jesus’ manger.  How many of us are willing to follow that star wheresover it goes?

Wise men and women even in 2016 still seek him.  As the Christmas Carol put it, “Sages, leave your contemplations, Brighter visions beam afar; Seek the great Desire of nations, Ye have seen his natal star: Come and worship, come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King.”  The Christmas Star causes us to celebrate a very unique birth, a baby boy who has become the Great Desire of Billions among the nations of the earth.  The Christmas Star leads us to come and worship, to come and adore him among the cattle and the sheep in a lowly manger.

You are invited to come see the Bethlehem Star and let this star touch your life this Christmas.

Rev. Dr. Ed Hird

-An article previously published in the North Shore News/Deep Cove Crier

P. S. Click this Amazon link to view for free the first two chapters of our new novel Blue Sky.

“I’m afraid there’s been an accident…”

Sandy Brown and her family have just moved to Spokane, Washington where her husband, Scott, is pastoring a new church. With a fresh start, Sandy is determined to devote more time to her four children. But, within weeks of settling in their new life, the Brown family is plunged into turmoil.

Sandy receives shocking news that her children aren’t safe, which brings back haunting memories of the trauma she experienced as a girl. Then, the unthinkable happens…

A brutal attack puts Sandy on the brink of losing everything she’s loved. Her faith in God and the family she cherishes are pushed to the ultimate limit.

Is healing possible when so many loved ones are hurt? Are miracles really possible through the power of prayer? Can life return to the way it was before?

Blue Sky reveals how a mother’s most basic instinct isn’t for survival… but for family.

If you’re a fan of Karen Kingsbury, then you’ll love Blue Sky. Get your copy today on paperback or  kindle.

-Click to check out our marriage book For Better For Worse: discovering the keys to a lasting relationship on Amazon. You can even read the first two chapters for free to see if the book speaks to you.

-The sequel book Restoring Health: body, mind and spirit is available online with Amazon.com in both paperback and ebook form.  Dr. JI Packer wrote the foreword, saying “I heartily commend what he has written.” The book focuses on strengthening a new generation of healthy leaders. Drawing on examples from Titus’ healthy leadership in the pirate island of Crete, it shows how we can embrace a holistically healthy life.

In Canada, Amazon.ca has the book available in paperback and ebook. It is also posted on Amazon UK (paperback and ebook), Amazon France (paperback and ebook), and Amazon Germany (paperback and ebook).

Restoring Health is also available online on Barnes and Noble in both paperback and Nook/ebook form.  Nook gives a sample of the book to read online.

Indigo also offers the paperback and the Kobo ebook version.  You can also obtain it through ITunes as an IBook.

To receive a personally signed copy within North America, just etransfer at ed_hird@telus.net, giving your address. Cheques are also acceptable.

-Click to purchase the Companion Bible Study by Jan Cox (for the Battle of the Soul of Canada) in both paperback and Kindle on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca 

Indigo also offers the paperback and the Kobo ebook version.  You can also obtain it through ITunes as an IBook.

-Click to purchase the Companion Bible Study by Jan Cox (for the Battle of the Soul of Canada) in both paperback and Kindle on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca