O Holy Night

Tonight, if you are struggling with feeling lonely, bitter, a longing, a sadness. There is hope. Today was a good day, a hard day filled with family and fun and friction. No major drama, but enough to remind me my home is not my "home". My family is awesome, we are blessed and generally a healthy family unit, but there is always that longing deep inside that they can't fill. They were not made to. So I turn, and continue to turn, to my savior who came silently into the night into a dirty stable to save this broken world.

Tonight as we sang this song at our 1st Christmas Eve service in our new little church I understood the lyrics in a new, beautiful way. I've sung this song every Christmas for 35 years, but tonight it struck a cord with me and my lip quivered as I belted out "the weary world rejoices". An image of a weary world, with all it's shootings, all the homeless, the starving, the orphans and the widows...it does NOT end here. We were made for more. Christ has paved a way for us. No more striving and trying. We can rest, knowing He who came as a babe came to save our lives and give us freedom. IN Christ we can have hope and that longing doesn't go completely away, but it doesn't linger quite as long and the things in this world and of this world own us a little less.

Merry Christmas. Thanking Jesus for saving me and that he is what I need when my heart aches. Enjoy this Holy Night and celebrate it with joy and triumph bc he has overcome the world, we need no longer fear.

Oh holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the wise men from Orient land
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend

Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name