1 Pet. 2:21 21 For even hereunto were ye called:
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye
should follow his steps:
A Shining Star in the Heavens Family Home Evening
Song Suggestions: “Stars
were Gleaming” Children's Songbook p 37
“With
Wondering Awe” hymn p 210
“He
Sent His Son” Children's Songbook p 34
Scripture: Mark 4:22 “For
there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept
secret, but that it should come abroad.”
Opening Prayer: Assigned
Lesson: Frontiers of Science: A Star Is Born
Closing Prayer: Assigned
Treat: Shining Star Cookies
Frontiers of Science: A Star Is Born
By Dr. Sherwood B. Idso
In a revelation given to Moses the
Lord says that there is no end to His works, and that “as one earth shall pass
away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come. …” (Moses 1:38.) So
it is that as astronomers press forward in their quest to probe ever deeper
into the vast reaches and mysteries of space, many evidences of this continuing
process of creation are brought to light.
Consider the stars. Perhaps the most
well-known case of a new star appearing in the heavens is that of the star of
Bethlehem heralding the birth of Christ. What exactly was it? Although there
are many possibilities—a new star, a comet, or a great stellar explosion—we
really do not know its true nature. We do know, however, that stars are
continually going through a process similar to that described by the Lord in
conversing with Moses.
Indeed, even now astronomers are
observing and studying objects in the heavens that could well have been created
since the time of Christ’s earthly mission.
A prime example is the exciting
discovery this past year of a newborn star in the center of the Orion Nebula,
the great cloud of unorganized dust and gas in the constellation Orion.
Although it is difficult to see through very dense nebulae to their centers,
new instruments at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona allowed
scientists there to detect the new star, as well as several other objects that
may well be protostars or clumps of matter that are still in the formative
stage and have not yet reached true stardom. The new star that has been
identified is estimated to have “turned on” within only the past few thousand
years, which is a very short time after the manner of the Lord’s reckoning.
But exactly how is a new star formed?
And how is the birth of a star and its companion planets related to the
“passing away” of another solar system?
One current theory is that as a great
cloud of interstellar material swirls through space, portions of it become more
dense than others and begin to draw together.
Coincidentally, a nearby star may
explode in a supernova. Some astronomers believe that when this happens, an
expanding shock wave from the supernova may wrap itself around some of these
localized dense pockets of dust and compress them even more. Once these
compressed dust clouds become so packed together that they exceed a certain
critical density, their own gravity then causes them to contract into compact
spheres. At this point temperatures and pressures at their centers rise
dramatically, and the spheres ignite—that is, they begin to produce energy by
nuclear fusion and take their places among the shining lights of the universe.
Thus, the explosive death of one star
can lead to the creation of several new stars and planets as the Lord presides
over the continuing process of creation.
We must consider ourselves fortunate
indeed to be able to behold and to comprehend in some small degree the enormity
and grandeur of the work of our Heavenly Father, wherein He prepares worlds
without number for the habitation of His children. It is no exaggeration to say
that when we contemplate the heavens with their suns, moons, and planets, we
contemplate God. For as the Lord has said, “… any man who hath seen any or the
least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power.” (D&C 88:47.)
What greater reason can we have to cast our eyes heavenward?
Let us all look up and marvel at the
work and glory of our Creator.
Friend, Dec. 1979, 32
Shining Star
Cookies
1 cup
softened butter
1 cup brown
sugar
2 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
3 ¼ cups sifted flour
colored hard candy broken into small pieces, jolly ranchers, lifesavers etc.
Mix butter, sugar, and eggs together in
bowl. Combine salt, baking soda, and flour, and add to sugar mixture a little
at a time. Knead dough, then chill several hours. Pinch off small ball of dough
and place on parchment paper. Roll dough with hands into long strips. Repeat
several times, storing remaining dough in refrigerator. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place a strip of dough on the cookie sheet and cut out
a star shape or other shape, gently pulling away the extra dough. Using a smaller cookie cutter cut out a
window in the middle. Bake at 325ºF (160ºC) for 5–8 minutes. Remove
cookies from oven. Fill “windows” in middle with thin, even layer of candy
pieces. Return to oven and bake about 8–10 minutes more. Watch closely to make
sure cookies don’t burn. After cookies cool and harden, peel off any parchment that sticks to them.
Another festive recipe can be found HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment