This week we will make and bake star cookies as we finish our last week of Advent. Star cookies are perfect for Christmas. The star of Bethlehem, the star guiding the Magi is the penultimate star, but the Old Testament is full of references to stars, too. So while we wait and bake this last week of Advent, we will look at a reference to a star that the Chosen People of God were waiting for.
I mentioned there are many references to stars in the Old Testament. There are references right from the very beginning of Genesis 1:16. "God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also." Psalm 148:3, "Praise Him sun and moon. Praise Him all stars of light." The Chosen People of God knew that God made the stars and that the stars and all creation are meant to praise their Creator. There are many references in the Old Testament to pagans worshiping the sun, moon, and stars. The prophets foretold their doom if they continued to worship creatures instead of the Creator who made the stars.
Stars have many lessons to teach us, but the Advent waiting lesson of the star is the Morning Star found in the book of Numbers. It is in this prophetical scriptural verse that the Morning Star becomes our waiting star of the fourth week of Advent. Listen to these verses and share them with your bakers. "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh: a star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; and crush through the head of Moab...." Numbers 24:17
To develop our understanding of the Morning Star a bit more. (This may be of interest to adults but a bit too specific for younger bakers. It is your judgment call.) We can look at the definition of scepter. A scepter is a decorative staff used by a king or ruler. It signifies royalty, power, and authority. Observant Jews were waiting for the Morning Star who would come from the line of Jacob (King David's line), who would be royal (divine), and have power and authority, and would crush the head of the serpent as foretold in Genesis 3:15. Jesus fulfilled that prophecy. He was of the line of King David who was of the line of Jacob. Jesus is Divine; He is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity who became man. He is the King. He has power, authority, and through the Cross crushed Satan and defeated death. The birth of Jesus represents many truths. For all of us, young, middle-age, and old, it speaks of the total love of our Creator for each one of us, His creatures, in a deeply loving and very personal way. May the Morning Star dawn in your heart and the hearts of your children as we wait together this last week of Advent for the birth of Christ.
Here are some two of my granddaughters baking Star Cookies the last week of Advent.
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| All done and out of the oven! |
Psalm 8:3
Our Prayer for the Fourth Week of Advent
When I aconsider thy bheavens, the cwork of thy fingers, the dmoon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is aman, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou bvisitest him? 5 For thou hast made him a little alower than the bangels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
This week is a bit busy for me as I am sure it is for you. I have not had an a chance to look for children's books on the Morning Star. I will have to save that research for another day. If any of you know of a good children's book or want to write one about the Morning Star the Jewish children were waiting for before the birth of Jesus, please contact me. Thank you!
Happy Fourth Week of Advent
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| A few decorated cookies from the Rooney/Findlay Family Christmas in July, 2021 |
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