Lighting of Third Candle: The Joyful Message

Devotion by: Greta Rymal

Isaiah 12:2-6

²Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid,
for the Lord is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.
³ With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
⁴And you will say on that day:
Give thanks to the Lord,
call on his name;
make known his deeds among the nations;
proclaim that his name is exalted.
⁵Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be known in all the earth.
⁶Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

These passages are familiar to me, especially verse 2 “Surely God is my salvation” and verses 4-5 “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among nations what he has done . . . let this be known to all the world.”

These were themes in the recent funeral service for my Mother, especially as we sang “I Love to Tell the Story”. My Mom made sure that my sister and I knew the story of Jesus and his gift of salvation, even as we moved from place to place during my Dad’s military career. I don’t remember the earliest time she told me the story, but it may well have been the Joyful Message of the birth of Jesus.

As you tell the story to your children or grandchildren, or as you recall the story for yourself, praise God also for the person who shared the story with you.

Prayer: Dear God, please help us not to be afraid, for we know you are with us, in Jesus name we pray. Amen.