A thrill of hope
The weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks, a new and glorious morn
Thrill—A sudden feeling of pleasure or excitement
Hope—Feeling of expectation
Weary—Tiredness
Rejoices—Great joy and delight
Yonder—At a distance
Glorious—Worthy of Admiration
Dissecting words can be fun.
We all have these words that we hear over and over again, but seldom look up to remember the actual meaning.
Or maybe that’s just me.
But when I do, I always see a little more. And that makes my heart happy.
A thrill of hope is maybe one of my favorite lines of all Christmas songs.
I’m not exactly what you’d call a thrill seeker, but I do crave joy.
And hope.
I long so deeply for the things we were created for.
The One we were created for.
And this side of Heaven, I find so much disappointing.
Call me Debbie Downer—I know.
But I also think I’m Accurate Amy.
We weren’t built for this place.
It’s exhausting.
But on Christmas, we get a sweet little season glittered with the reminders that more is coming.
Jesus came once.
He will do it again.
And while we currently live here. In the land of the living.
That hope anchors us to a different kind of reality.
Perhaps the Debbie Downer in me needs a little correcting on this point.
In the Already-Not Yet existence we are invited into, we get to embrace the Hope of tomorrow today.
We get to rally and celebrate what has already been accomplished for all of eternity and claim it in the messiness of the broken world as the lighthouse guiding us home.
So, we grieve with hope.
And we do not allow the Devil or brokenness to hinder our ability to dance when it is a time to dance.
The Holy Spirit in us comforts us in a way that the Perfect Counselor does, so the haziness of sin and suffering does not blind us. It does not break us.
So, I pray,
For hugs.
I pray for laughter.
I pray for strengthening in our souls.
I pray for tears to be wiped with tenderness and warm embraces.
I pray for the sweet affection of sweet friends.
I pray for joyful memories.
I pray for cozy comforts offered by the Lord.
Lord, let our souls rest in you. What you have for us today.
Allow us to remember you are always with us, and allow the hope we have in you thrill us to our core.
We love you.
Thank you for thrilling us—do it again.
Xo
Crystal
Sincerely, Crystal 