The Bright and Morning Star

The Bright and Morning Star

“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.”

Revelation 22:16

Christ employs many titles to describe Himself. He calls Himself the Door, the Good Shepherd, the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Way, the Truth and the Life, to cite a few. As He concludes the Revelation of Himself, He uses one final description. He says, ‘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.’ Why does He employ this last title? As He closes the Canon, why should we dwell upon the fact that He is, ‘The Morning Star?’ Consider please, a few suggestions. The Morning Star indicates to us that the long night of mourning is coming to an end. As a friend of mine said, who suffered from a longterm debilitating disease, ‘this world is a vale of tears.’ After He has written the conclusion of history and of the world, Christ would have us look to Him as the Great Concluder of pain and suffering. Beyond that, the morning star is the harbinger of hope. Its’ presence indicates the arrival of a new day with eternal prospects and possibilities. So, Christ would have us see Him as the Bringer of Hope. He brings with Him a plethora of prospects and an abundance of possibilities. The morning star is the precursor of coming light. So, Christ brings the first light, and then arises as the ‘Sun of Righteousness…with healing in His wings.’ He is both the Bringer of Light and the Light itself. Today, let us fix our gaze upon Christ, the Morning Star. He will not fail to deliver all that He has promised.

O, Christ, our Bright and Morning Star,
we fix our eyes upon You.
You bring light to our darkened souls,
and shed abroad Your Glory into our most shaded corners.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning