O Holy Night - The Crosswalk Devotional - December 21

O Holy Night
By Gina Smith

"For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." (Romans 8:19-21)

Christmas time can be a hard time of year. I love buying gifts and spending time with the people I love, but often find myself struggling during the Christmas season. There is the absence of three of our four parents who have passed away, my 86-year-old mom who isn’t able to travel very much anymore, children who are married and have plans elsewhere, the dear friend who is facing Christmas without her husband of 50 years, my brother-in-law who was just diagnosed with cancer, and the young mom friend whose husband passed suddenly. The sadness of these circumstances is magnified during this season, in which we put so much effort into establishing and maintaining familiar routines.

“If you are suffering this Christmas, you have far more in common with Jesus than the comfortable and contented.” - Vaneetha Rendall Risner

This year, the realities of life are causing me to move into the holiday season thoughtfully and soberly. The idealistic picture of Christmas that used to hang in the back of my mind has blown away with the winds of change. Somewhere along the way, I became tired of fighting to make it something it could never really be.

When my children were young, I focused on three things during the holidays: Making sure they knew that Christmas is about the birth of Christ, establishing family traditions, and making memories. I often tried to open my little ones' eyes to truths that only God can cause them to see and make real in their hearts. Time has taught me that, although we may have some fun Christmas memories, what truly made a lasting impact was the authentic living that was done within the walls of our home, along with the unseen, one-day-at-a-time work that God was doing.

There is a type of knowing that comes with years of living as each year builds on the last. God slowly opened our eyes to truth and allowed us to experience the joy and pain of change. Since Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ, it’s okay that all the hype during the holidays becomes somewhat meaningless. It’s okay to enter quietly and feel the sadness of the realities and the changes that have occurred. The losses, deaths, sickness, and suffering that are present are merely reminders of why we so desperately need a Savior and why Jesus was born in the first place.

The Thrill of hope. The weary world rejoices!
The birth of Jesus is a celebration because it is the reason we can experience JOY even when we are weary! I am moving into this Christmas season feeling weary, and I am spending a lot of time on my knees fighting the battle in my heart and mind. I have been crying out to Him with a heavy heart, fighting to see things from His perspective. I am reminded of this:

Christ was born for one purpose: To die for the sins of people who rebelled because they thought God and his plan wasn’t enough. They wanted more.

Intersecting Faith and Life:
The Christmas season can be a struggle because the stark realities of life don’t take a holiday break! But we can tune in to the beautiful Christmas hymns we sing yearly and be reminded that we can have JOY! There are days I do have to fight to find joy in the moment, but in the end, it is there. I just need to focus on the reason He came. And wearily rejoice that He was born.

Let’s pray:
Father, It was truly a glorious night when your Son was born. Even the angels rejoiced! The entire world was given a King, and You granted us eternal salvation when Your Son died for our sins. Help me to be reminded that I can have true, biblical joy despite my circumstances if I choose to focus on the truths found in this hymn!

“A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn…”

O Holy Night

O Holy night!
The stars are brightly shining.
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appears 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; O hear the Angels' voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O Holy night, O 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
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend

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
Christ is the Lord; O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim
His power and glory evermore proclaim

Photo credit: Unsplash/David Beale

Gina Smith is a writer and author. She has been married for 35 years to Brian, a college professor and athletic trainer. For 25+ years, she and her husband served on a Christian college campus as the on-campus parents, where Brian was a professor and dean of students. They reside right outside of Washington, DC, and are the parents of two grown children, one daughter-in-law, one son-in-law, and one granddaughter. She recently authored her first traditionally published book, Everyday Prayers for Joy, which is available everywhere books are sold. You can find Gina at the following: Website: ginalsmith.com, Instagram, and at Million Praying Moms, where she is a writer.