Sacrifice and Stars on Monte Alban

Some of the oldest remains of civilization in the world are found on a mountain-peak in Oaxaca called Monte Alban. There people of old studied the stars, built accordingly, and sacrificed animals and humans to the gods. Looking up skyward on that peak it is not a surprise that a culture would look at all that surround in the immense sky and study and even worship. The sadness is the worship--the study and the sacrifice--was false.

The stars would have been unbelievable beautiful and captivating as they would seemingly envelop all. Sadly, I rarely give them notice in this modern world, but God purposed it that way and then used stars to point men to Jesus. Stars were always meant to shine for and to something else...they are never an end in themselves.

Sacrifice also points to Jesus. Blood needs to be shed. The image of God in us knows this. We just distort it. We offer our hearts to something else, be it the literal hearts offered by the Zapotec's or the deep places in ourselves. Hearts are still offered to gods/God and the stars are still worshiped.

We are not so modern after all.