ELW #303, "Brightest and Best of the Stars"
Verse 1
Brightest and best of the stars of the morning,
dawn on our darkness and lend us your aid.
Star of the east, the horizon adorning,
guide where our infant redeemer is laid.
Devotion
In a high school astronomy class I learned that the ‘bright morning star’ isn’t usually a star at all, but a planet – Venus. Its covering with clouds and its proximity to both Earth and the sun combine to make it a reflective masterpiece. In the dawn it easily ‘outshines’ the other stars in the sky.
This hymn refers to the star that guided the Magi as they searched for the new king. That star’s glory led them to the boy-child Jesus. But it also could describe the object of their search – the lord Jesus, the king of kings and prince of peace. His glory outshines the treasures of this earth and the beauty of the heavens. He is the brightest and best, the star by whom we should set our path.
Prayer
Shine on us, Lord Jesus, and light our way. Amen.