Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Daniel 12:1-3
Pastor: Pastor Schlicht
Sermon Date:  November 14, 2021

It was a clear night in 1994. An earthquake shook Los Angeles and caused a city-wide power outage just before dawn. Jolted awake, some residents stumbled outside and called a local observatory to report a mysterious cloud overhead. That weird cloud turned out to be the band of the Milky Way, our galaxy, which had long been obscured by the city lights.

You know, if light bulbs have a dark side, it’s that they have stolen the night. The excess light we dump into our environments is called light pollution. Though it may not be as immediately toxic as a chemical spill, light pollution is now among the most chronic environmental problems on Earth. It kills many animals, ruining migratory routes, birth timing, and endangering ecosystems for nocturnal animals who depend on the dark. We are also endangering ourselves by altering the biochemical rhythms that God designed to ebb and flow with natural light levels. 

And in a fundamental sense, we’ve lost our connection to the stars. We know more about space today than ever before, but we have never been more disconnected from it. Based on observations from the Suomi NPP satellite, a third of humankind cannot see the Milky Way, including nearly 80 percent of North Americans. We no longer ponder the tapestries into which our ancestors wove their stories, timed the planting and harvesting of crops, navigated their journeys,  and, most importantly, stood in awe of God’s creative power. 

This Sunday is traditionally called Saints Triumphant. It’s a day when we give thanks for all those who’ve come before us in faith and are now in heaven with the Lord. We call them saints, not because they were perfect, but because they asked for Jesus’ forgiveness and were declared holy in his name. But I think that this Sunday could also rightly be called Star’s Triumphant. Our ancestors in faith, whether the apostles and prophets, or the dearly departed in our own families, these saints shine like stars in the sky because of their example of faith. They may not be celebrities, they may not have attracted much attention on earth, but today we look past the light pollution of earthly glory, and focus upon their guidance and example of faith.

That’s why I’m thankful for this portion of Scripture from Daniel 12 because we can so easily become so preoccupied with earthly lights, so to speak. You see, Daniel chapters 10-11 contains an amazing prophecy, in which God allows Daniel to see, sometimes in broad strokes, sometimes in detail, many events that would take place in the years to come. Most are prophecies of Old Testament events or people. For example, God talks about Persian King Xerxes, who, in trying to defeat Greece, is purported to have raised an army of 2 million men, maybe more! God talks about Alexander the Great, about the Seleucids and the Ptolemies, etc. Powerful people are referred to, people who did world-changing things! They were the “shining stars” in their day, the celebrities, the movers and shakers, the glory of humanity. And perhaps we think, “Wow! I’d like to be a world-changer! I’d like to be a mover and a shaker! But then comes Daniel 12. “Many who are sleeping in the dusty ground…” What a reminder…All of those powerful people, those bright stars of their age, they’re dead! They had earthly stardom, but their shine was oh-so-short.

In a study investigating levels of what is called “Celebrity Worship” in the general public, a full 1/4 of the population was found to suffer from what the authors describe as “borderline-pathological” levels of “Celebrity Worship Syndrome,” an unhealthy preoccupation with a favorite celebrity. On the tame side this includes pretending to have conversations with your favorite star and making up fantasy scenarios where you meet and impress your favorite celebrity. On the darker side, this includes seeking out personal information about the star, buying their used items, dressing like them, and creating a deep emotional attachment to them.

Martin Scorsese once described a fan’s out-of-whack attachment to celebrities: “You [the fan] really get to love them [the celebrity]. They don’t know you. But you love them. But you love, I think, what you imagine they are. You put more into the person to a certain extent than they may even be giving out on the screen, because they represent a dream. You lose yourself in those people… But finally when you do “satisfy the request of a fan,” after they say, “I really loved your last film. I thought you were great. You really mean a lot to me.” Well, like what’s next? Ultimately what do they want?” The truth is when you get close to a star here on earth, you realize that they don’t shine quite so bright. They are sinful humans just like you and me. They can’t satisfy you. And in the end, they will lie in the dusty ground in death like everyone else.

There is only One who is worth our worship and that is the One who decides our eternity: Many who are sleeping in the dusty ground will awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame, to everlasting contempt. Those who trust in Christ will awake to an eternity of life and light. But others will awake to the darkness of despair, the contempt and shame of hell. Notice how Daniel highlights the duration here. Everlasting life and everlasting shame. This is the stark reminder we need to cut through our infatuation with celebrities and our desire for earthly attention. Daniel says, focus on shining forever, not just for a few years here on earth. 

So do you want to know who the real shining stars will be? “Those who have insight will shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who bring many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.” It turns out that the insightful ones aren’t the entrepreneurs who start a billion-dollar company, it isn’t the tech genius who invents the next iphone, or the influencer with a couple million followers. These are just like streetlights. But the stars, in God’s eyes, are those who lead many to righteousness, those who lead people to their Savior Jesus. To lead people to righteousness means leading people to Jesus. What a promise! Think of it, when you teach your own children to sing “Jesus loves me,” you’re leading many to righteousness. When you take them to church, when you say prayers at home, you are shining like a star! When you invite someone to Eastside, when you help out at an event, when you live honestly for Christ at your workplace, you are leading many to righteousness. When you ask a searching friend to consider eternity. When you pray for others. In all of these ways, regardless of what anyone sees, you are shining like a star. Do you realize that some of the people you may lead to Jesus are not even born yet? Think about it, generations will reap what you sow in faith today. You can shine like a star forever and ever.

In our electric world, surrounded day and night by lights, we can barely fathom the impact that the stars used to have in former ages. Those ancient nights would take on a quality of darkness that we never experience today. On a clear night, they would see millions of stars. The stars were not only beautiful; they were useful too. The ancients found their way around the darkness by moonlight and starlight. They learned early that they could use stars for navigation. Stars might seem to move across the night sky, but the ancients knew that the stars were never out of place. If they seemed out of place, it was only because the observer didn’t understand them—or because the observer was out of place…Daniel’s vision promises that God’s faithful people shall shine like those stars: beautiful, dependable, useful, and eternal. Who do you give thanks for today that has been such a star in your life? What faithful saint once pointed you to Jesus through their words and actions? Who have you looked to for spiritual guidance when you find that lesser lights lead you astray? Remember the stars are never out of place. Our ancestors in faith were just plain sinful people, but as they pointed us to Jesus they are never out of place. Let us give thanks for them today. Let’s trust their guidance and remember that any compass that points away from Christ is faulty.

The Devil will try to cloud our night sky with his fireworks, but you keep your focus on the stars. You know, I love fireworks on the 4th of July as much as anybody. I love to watch the rocket shoot up and then see the sky burst with brilliant colors just before the big boom! I’m one of the people who “ooh” and “ah” along with the crowd. It’s glorious and beautiful. And for a time the brilliance of the fireworks obscures the stars from our view. Yet how quickly the flash is over and all that’s left is ashes. But after the smoke clears and the crowds go home, far above the stars are still shining in the night sky. Even though they may be millions of miles away, they continue to burn, to guide us and to glorify their Maker. Let us give thanks for the stars God has given to us and may future generations say the same of you and me, for Christ’s sake.

Amen.