Radiating Light (ADVENT-URE 9: The Star)

Jesus is the light of the world, and because He lives in us, we are called the "light of the world" as well, according to Matthew chapter 5.  Numbers 24 is a powerful Messianic prophecy referring to our Savior as a "Star" who will come out of Jacob, and Revelation 22 says this:
16 "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star."
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Jesus is that Star who has shone into this dark world, Who has come to provide the way to redemption, to reconciliation with God the Father.  He provides His light for us not only to experience salvation, but to walk in His presence day by day.  We can walk in the light and reflect His light into a world that needs to see Him.  We need to look for Him and truly see and know Him consistently.

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In Numbers 24, we can read a powerful prophecy of the coming of Jesus, our Messiah.  Perhaps the prophet Balaam is best known for his encounter with a talking donkey.  But, God used that donkey as a course correction for the prophet, who had been enlisted by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse
Israel. Balaam was called to bless Israel, and He proclaimed this - in Numbers 24:
16 The utterance of him who hears the words of God, And has the knowledge of the Most High, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Who falls down, with eyes wide open:
17 "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.

It's Day 9 of this year's Advent-ure, and I want to look at the symbol of the Star.  Another symbol, for Day 10, is the Scepter.   In those two symbols, we think about the light of Christ and the royalty of Christ.  A little note here: this actually is a different reference from the River Region's Journey magazine guide, which lists Deuteronomy 18.  That chapter contains another Messianic prophecy, but it's not the one corresponding to Balaam's story - so, I apologize for my error there.

He's a classic example of someone who works behind the scenes.   Over the last 30 years, you and members of your family may have seen his work but never known it.   Does the movie, Frozen, mean anything to you?  How about Disney princesses Ariel of The Little Mermaid, Belle in Beauty and the Beast, or Jasmine from Aladdin?

Well, Mark Henn has been involved in the animation of all of those.  And, according to a story on the Christian Examiner website, he's a Christian who desires for God to be glorified through his work. He also served as an animator on the latest Disney family movie, Moana.

Henn says that his faith "has meant everything" to him during his time at Disney. The Ohio native is quoted as saying: "I was saved during my first year in college, and the fact that I'm here at Disney is just a testimony to God's goodness to me," adding, "I had that dream [to be an animator] very early on, and then once I had given my life to Christ in college, things really started to take off. There's not a day that doesn't go by that I'm not saying 'thank-you Lord' for letting me live out my dream here -- and continuing to live out my dream here."  He is approaching his 37th year at the studio.

He relates that:

I was kind of bit by the animation bug very early as a small boy.

It was just the idea of seeing those drawings move and become a character. We're unlimited in animation. We can tell any kind of story we want. We can be anywhere we want. We can design characters any way we want. We can animate inanimate objects. There's just a limitlessness to animation.

He also discussed the importance of teaching life lessons through entertainment:

Entertainment is our first-and-foremost. It's almost a byproduct that you have those sorts of life lessons learned in there. As I said, people need to identity [sic] with the characters in our stories. If you don't care about the characters and the story and what they're going through, you're going to have a much more shallow experience. It's not as much as we're trying to put a message in as much as it is trying to create believable characters in believable situations that people can identity with – whether it's Moana, whether it's Simba, or Ariel, or Pinocchio. You can identify with them and say, "I know how they feel."

Regarding the most recent film, Moana, which, according to the article, "...follows the story of a girl who leaves her land and travels across the Pacific Ocean to save her family..." Henn says that:

Moana is kind of torn between a duty and an expectation. And I think those are very relevant feelings and situations that a lot of people deal with – "I feel like people expect this of me, but deep inside I feel like this is what I need to do."

Mark Henn is a great example to all of us about viewing work Biblically.  His ambition seems to be centered around how he can glorify God in his work.  If we recognize that our skills have been given to us by God and that He will place us in the positions in which He desires to use us, we can gain a sense of maximizing those skills, being determined to use them well, and to living with contentment wherever we are.

We can also develop an attitude of thankfulness for our work - if we have that viewpoint of God's leadership and are convinced that we are following Him, then we can know we are in the place, and thank Him for how He has moved.

Henn assists in telling stories, and He is connected to Jesus, whose earthly life reflected that He was an incredible storyteller.  His story is One we tell not only with our words, but the way we live. His story of love and redemption has been and is being played out in our lives, so we can examine how the story of Jesus reflected in our lives and the light that we shine.  We can think about God's story in and through us.

He is the star who came, and the star which shone in Bethlehem was a testimony to God's story and His leadership.  Balaam proclaimed that the Messiah - the Star who held the Scepter - would come. We can be challenged to follow His light and submit to His Kingship over us.