Epiphany

I took this on Thursday night but thought I'd save it for the Journey of the Magi today. Just as well, as there are no stars tonight, with the air full of clouds and gently dropping wet snow. 

I met up with a woman at Church whose daughter and grandchildren live in Sarajevo, one of the most polluted cities in the world. So much so, that in winter when the wood fires are burning all the children have to stay indoors for most of the time. The planes cannot land or take off due to the lack of visibility so, after long waits in the airport, none of them arrived in the UK for Christmas. The younger child then was admitted to hospital with a respiratory attack, due to having been exposed to the toxic air. And of course, there are no stars to be seen there. 

I thought of the how the Wise Men found it quite possible to travel, lit by star and moon light and to sleep in the open air without thought of air pollution. The children of their time might have suffered from many things but man-made air poisoning was not one.
 
Central Africa is the only place where I’ve seen the stars burn blue and the Milky Way flowing like a river of light, so that the trees cast shadows.
The heavens are such a wonder and a glory but we blot them out from our awareness, blindfolding ourselves against the wonder and beauty of creation, if not by smog, then by street and industrial lighting. 

We know they are shining up there somewhere, but as seems usual, we wonder how on earth we could have lost our way so badly.