“O 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 soul rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!…”

As we journey through Advent, we continue our devotional series featuring various friends from our congregation, pondering their star’s unique name. Each thoughtful reflection points us towards our Savior and fills us with a thrill of hope. Enjoy!

Today’s reflection is from Ron Harmon:

Joy

Advent starts the church year and we celebrate as we sing ‘Joy to the World’ with the angels and shepherds at the birth of our Savior, Jesus.

We have that ‘Joy, joy, joy down in our hearts’. We have feelings of happiness, jubilation and exultation.

We have peace, love and Joy like a river.

We also wept tears of relief and Joy when a broken relationship is healed, when the diagnosis is cancer-free, when the rising and setting sun splash many colors on the horizon, when we lose a loved one, when we can worship together during this pandemic, when a newborn baby joins our family, when the pastor announces our sins are forgiven, and when we ask God to help us love others as Jesus loves us.

The star of Joy is not always visible as we face the myriad of challenges in today’s world. During this season of Advent, we ask Jesus help to find Joy every minute of every day. Amen.