Shining Like Stars

There are few places that make me feel quite as close to God as Loch Rannoch. On this sunny day, the loch shimmered with light, every ripple catching the sun as though the whole landscape were singing of God’s glory. It’s my favourite place on earth, a space that always stills my heart and opens my eyes to wonder.

This morning, I attended a service in the most beautiful little Highland church, where a new minister was being welcomed. The theme was kindness and inclusivity, and the congregation began with the hymn “Let us build a house where love can dwell.” A touching, communal rendition of “May the Lord Bless You” filled my heart with joy. It was incredibly touching. It felt like the perfect beginning, an invitation to be part of God’s ongoing work of creating a world where love truly lives.

The readings were from Matthew 25:31-40 and Philippians 2:1-8, 12-15, and both spoke powerfully into this theme. In Matthew 25, Jesus teaches that whenever we show kindness or compassion to others, especially those in need, “you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40, NRSV). This passage reminds us that every person bears the image of God, the Imago Dei, and that our treatment of others is a reflection of how we honour that divine image.

In my theology studies, we have been exploring this very idea: that to see God’s image in another person is to recognise something sacred, something of His own nature reflected in their being. Today, surrounded by sunlight and smiles, it felt more than academic. It felt real.

This connects beautifully with something I remember hearing on The Gospel Coalition’s podcast. Mark Dever and his guest reflected on how we come to understand God’s love more fully by meeting many different people. God is complex, beyond comprehension, and each person reveals a little more of His nature to us.

During a recent tutorial, a friend described the Imago Dei as being like a diamond, each of us reflecting a different facet of God’s light. That image stayed with me as I sat by the loch later in the afternoon, watching the water sparkle like a thousand tiny mirrors. It reminded me of Philippians 2:15 (NRSV):

“…so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world.”

Each person, each act of kindness, each glimmer of compassion, all tiny reflections of God’s radiant love.

Standing by Loch Rannoch, watching sunlight scatter across the water, I thought how true that is. God’s light does not shine in just one way, it refracts and dances through all of us, in all our diversity. When we embrace others with kindness and inclusion, we glimpse more of who He is.

So today, as the loch twinkled in the sunshine, I found myself giving thanks, for beauty, for community, for a faith that calls us to see the divine in one another. We are each a facet of His love, shining like stars, together reflecting the image of the One who made us.

Perhaps today you might take a quiet moment to notice where God’s light is shining around you, in nature, in kindness, in the people you meet. His image is there, glimmering in ordinary things, waiting to be recognised.

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