Terry Paul Choyce
December 30, 2007 Brunswick Street United Church
I have been moved and inspired by the poem "One Strong Star" by Joyce Rupp, from the book Cosmic Dance, and I'd like to share it with you today:
I stand gazing at the cold winter sky,
thirty minutes after midnight
on the first day of the new year.
What I see catches my heart,
and draws me into profound hope.
There in the black winter sky
one strong star sings a silent melody,
illuminating the heavily clouded heights
with powerful, assuring presence.
I hear it calling to every human soul
whose life yearns for something more.
One strong star sends a brave song
to those who doubt their own courage.
It shines for the soreness of the planet
and for all who die daily
in the coffins of discouragement.
I stand gazing at that single star
resonating with the message:
none of us need doubt our ability to survive.
Hope comes in little ways,
it only takes one shining star,
one faithful friend,
one wisp of inspiration, one touch of creation's beauty,
one deep sip of love,
to keep the illumination alive in us.
In the snow-laden clouds of the first
day of the new year
I bow to the heavens and turn homeward,
grateful for the quiet in my heart,
and for the singing of a lone star
sending hope
to every corner of the cosmos.
As we approach the New Year, let us all take time to feel the "quiet in our hearts."Let us all go out tonight and look at the stars - so distant yet so much a part of our lives and our world. Let us look with wonder. And let us look with hope for a peace-filled, joyous 2008.
This morning I was watching Canada AM and they had a story about a boy who got leukemia when he was 11. They showed photos of this boy as he spent 2.5 years being pumped with drugs, having a bone-marrow transplant, and spending most of his life in the hospital. Pictures of him at 10 showed a happy, beautiful child playing with his brother. Then photos of him with no hair, his face bloated beyond recognition from the drugs, his body attached to tubes and wires. It was painful just to see the pictures. And then at the end of the piece, they interviewed this young man today, an attractive kid with nice brown hair and a passion for skate-boarding. He thanked the doctors and medical staff, and he thanked his family - especially his mother, who he said was with him daily, and never lost hope.
This young man and his family are now fundraising for cancer research, and as of today they raised $95,000. Probably after that story aired, the amount is much more. This family took their tragedy and turned it into a life-saving opportunity for other people. Instead of pushing their terrible troubles into their past, they are using their experience to make life better for others. With their story and the heart-wrenching photos, they are showing people that even when life is painful and seems not worth living, things can radically change for the better. Life can become happy and "normal" again. The human body can recover from deadly diseases. And the human spirit can soar above all tribulations.
Each of us has something in our lives which has caused us pain and sorrow. Do we let those negativities defeat us, or do we use them to make us stronger. Do we give up and stay stuck in our bad times, or do we work extremely hard to keep positive thoughts in our minds and make our lives better. Do we have Hope?
God had hope for human kind, and so he gave us Jesus, to help us lead lives filled with love. In his ministry Jesus encouraged us to reach out to others, like this family is doing. Luke 10:27 gives us these words of Jesus "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbour as yourself." Our lives are about love.
So as 2008 dawns, I invite you to love yourself enough to always have hope, and to always strive to make your life more meaningful and joyous. Have faith that God is in you, and around you - to guide you through your trials and tribulations. Over the birthplace of Jesus there was a star. Find your "strong star" and let it fill your heart with light, love, and hope.
