Julie Hart’s Devotional

“You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.”

Luke 1:14 (NRSV)

“He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth.”

Luke 1:14 (NIV)

The definition of rejoice is to be glad and take delight. What are the things that delight you? What are the things that make it impossible to keep from smiling? What are the things that make you so happy that you just want to jump and shout for joy?

One of my favorite songs to sing at Christmas is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”. There are seven verses in the song, one for each day of the week leading up to Christmas. Each verse includes a different Old Testament name for the coming Messiah. And after each verse we sing: Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel Shall come to you, O Israel.

After each verse, we are reminded to be glad and take delight. And do you know why? Because Jesus is coming!. Light is coming into the darkness. During this Advent season, every time you hear this song, I challenge you to get louder and louder between each verse as you sing out REJOICE! REJOICE! Sing it out like you were at Potosi singing at our evening campfire. Even if you don’t know the rest of the words to the song, shout REJOICE for all to hear! I encourage you to check out some of the great versions of this song (you can find them on YouTube, Pandora, and wherever you get your music) and listen for all of the names you hear for Jesus. Write them down. Think about which one is your favorite and why. This truly is a season to REJOICE! I rejoice in the fact that even when we are not together, our Potosi community is united in prayer and devotion to Jesus this season.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the many reasons I have in my life to REJOICE. I am glad that you came into the world to bring your love. I take delight in the light that you shine in times of darkness. Let me share the love and light that you brought into the world with all those I meet during this Advent season.

Amen.