Today’s devotional is by Amy Johnston.
"The Carol of the bells is a well-known and much loved piece of music (particularly famous for featuring in the classic Christmas movie, ‘Home Alone’). The carol is based upon the original Ukrainian folk chant, ‘Shchedryk’, and the lyrics were written by Peter J. Wilhousky in 1936.
The lyrics of the song are all about the arrival of Christmas and the bringing of good cheer to ‘young and old, meek and bold’. Despite its haunting sound, this song reminds us of the joy of spending time with loved ones and celebrating together at the end of a hard year. Christmas is meant to be a time of glad-tidings and cheer for all. Of course, as Christians, we know that our joy is not reserved to one day of the year but rather that we celebrate Jesus Christ all year round and rejoice in the hope that is found in Him.
Christmas is a great time to remember the importance of the incarnation of Christ and the love of God that is shown by sending His Son to live a human life. It is through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ that we find our fulfilment of joy and a reason for our rejoicing. And while this carol reminds us of the good cheer that comes from celebrating Christmas, it is also good to be reminded of the everlasting love and joy that we have access to all year round."