Autumn turns toward winter,
step by step as days grow shorter.
Cold deepens; nights are longer,
certainty falls away.
Orion, that glorious night hunter
blazes from the blue-black sky,
seeming to come close to us
in one great step
singing in our hearts: “All is well.
The path is not lost, the way is clear.
As long as the stars remain,
I will be here to guide you.
I will lead you in the darkness.”

How good is our God to give us the stars as guides and comforters! We know that our Creator has fashioned the world to be a place of beauty, to sustain and protect us.  We lift our hearts to the Maker of this beautiful earth, our home, and ask to be made good caretakers of these gifts, to keep them safe for all those who will follow us.  We thank our God, whose name is Love, for surrounding us with his Spirit, for lifting us in his mercy beyond our smallness and fears to the blessed Presence that will guide us safely home.