Noel

Noel, Noel

Come and see what God has done

Noel, Noel

The story of Amazing love!

The light of the world given for us,

Noel

One of my favorite Christmas carols is The First Noel. I love the beauty of the word. I have it displayed in multiple places throughout our Christmas decorations. Last year I discovered Lauren Daigle's song Noel and my heart was captivated (the above chorus). The story of amazing love - truly the reason for the season, when the light of the world was given to us. Our Savior, Emmanuel.

This morning as the familiar chorus played, I was struck by the word. While I love how beautifully it looks and sounds, I didn't actually know what it means. You may know me well enough to know that I have to find the meaning... So I looked it up:

- A Christmas carol

- A joyous wish

Upon further exploration, I found that at its roots it can be traced back to a Latin word that means birthday. Now you know how I love a good birthday!

Suddenly my love of this word that embodies a joyous birthday song and wish is now becoming clear.

The first Noel was the first birthday, the first celebration of joy, the coming of our Savior. 

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Don't let this be lost on you. This time of year is notorious for the wonder and awe of celebration and yet it shouldn't take the month of December to make us realize how He embodies each and every one of those names and titles. 

Wonderful.

Counselor.

The Mighty God.

The Everlasting Father.

The Prince of Peace. 

Say it out loud. Stop and pause at each one. Let it resonate in your soul, in the very depths of your longing heart. May you know and understand Who He is and all that He is.

You might not be feeling very celebratory or joyful. You may be struggling to get through this season and wondering where God is in the midst of what you're facing. I pray you'll find His never ending peace and unspeakable joy, that you'll be comforted by His might and stand in awe of His wonder. He is everlasting and sometimes we just need the reminder that whatever we're in the middle of truly is only temporary. Our true joy and hope comes in knowing the eternal security we have when we accept His gift of salvation, the reason for which He came. 

I pray you'll come and see what He's done if you've never before experienced Him. I wish you the happiest of Noel's today.