“God brought Abram outside and said, ‘Look towards heaven and number the stars’”.

Walking under the vault of heaven, we might observe how a light has travelled years to arrive at this moment – and in this way we are given a glimpse of hope. For Abram, the stars pointed to the future promise that his line would continue beyond him through God’s faithfulness. Future generations, to whom we are included, would look to the stars and think ‘back’ to the covenant made light years ago.

In the well-known Gospel scene of the Transfiguration the stars are not in heaven’s vault but wrapped around Jesus whose clothing “became dazzling”. God in Jesus brings the Light closer – indeed He is Light – and God’s covenant with Abram has been fulfilled. Notice the movement we see in Scripture from looking up to the skies in Genesis with a lofty and far-reaching promise to the transformation of Jesus into dazzling light on Mount Tabor reaching the eyes of his friends.

Surely these friends clung to this memory of the glorified Jesus as he walked to Calvary. We, too, require glimpses of heavenly light to carry us through any difficulty, so that even against a blanket of darkness we rely on the historic faithfulness of God’s people who hoped and dared to see the day that we now have the privilege to live. 

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Fr Ryan Service Holy Trinity, Sutton Coldfield