A thrill of hope
“For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” Romans 8:24-25
O Holy Night is my favorite Christmas Carol. It’s breathtakingly haunting music of course (especially when sung by Josh Groban and played as loud as your speakers can handle late on Christmas Eve) but even more powerful are its lyrics.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
One of the reasons we love this Advent season so much is that it gives us a yearly reminder not just of that morning 2000 years ago when our King Jesus was born helpless in the dirt but also that a new and glorious morn is right around the corner. Far better than any previous glorious morn that we have ever known.
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother, And in His name, all oppression shall cease
When our King Jesus comes again in glory, riding in on the clouds, to bring complete restoration to His fallen world, to once and for all completely vanquish not only His enemy but every trace of evil the world has ever known - then He will break all of our chains and we will finally be completely free. Just think of it. Free from all pain, sadness, addiction, anxiety, depression, restlessness, dissatisfaction – all the negative emotions that have plagued us our entire lives. Gone in an instant, never to return.
And remember the feeling you used to have as a little kid on Christmas morning? Overwhelming joy at the thought of what awaited you under the tree? Well now, because of what He accomplished on a different tree, we can have that same feeling every day if we choose to focus on it. A thrill of hope….
Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices! O night divine, O night when Christ was born O night, O Holy night, O night divine!
So start falling down on your knees in wonder and awe and excitement this Advent season. His imminent return draws closer with every passing day.
Come quickly Lord Jesus,