A Thrill of Hope
Joy Holifield
My friend Elise smith, who plays and sings on the praise team, introduced me to a song I’d never heard before. It’s from the Christmas album “A Thrill of Hope” by Christy Nockels. It has some well-known Christmas songs and a few original songs. “Amaryllis” is one of the original songs. At first glance “Amaryllis” doesn’t seem like a typical Christmas song, but after listening, I realized it beautifully illustrates the hope of Jesus, in the form of new life, just as the Christmas Amaryllis flower grows in the dead of winter. It was inspired by Christy’s sister-in-law, when she sent her letter and a potted plant that hadn’t bloomed yet, in a season of winter of her soul and the world around her. Here is an excerpt of that letter.
“The winter is beautiful but it is cold and harsh to the living things determined to grow. Everyone knows that the season for blooming is in spring. Its gentle breezes and warm sun send a message that all things are becoming new. It would take great courage to grow and bloom in the bitterness of winter. There is no welcoming afternoon sun, no invitation to rest in the gentle breeze, and no rush of new life in the surrounding soil. But…there are the rare and beautiful treasures that choose to bloom when the conditions are the darkest. In the bleakness of winter, the Amaryllis will spring up, pushing through the soil, and displaying the beauty it was created to share. It bears life and growth and has beauty coursing through every inside part. It cannot and will not wait for the gentleness of spring. The Amaryllis does not bloom because the conditions are perfect. The conditions are, in fact, counterintuitive to new life. The Amaryllis blooms in winter even still.” – Kristin Hill
God’s beauty and glory are all around us! When conditions were darkest, just when we least expected it, His love broke through and He shines! And this very same light, He offers to us. No matter how dark and bleak our condition may be, we too can surprise the night. We bloom and shine despite the darkness, displaying “the thrill of hope” to a sleeping world all around us. This story is worth telling! A heart experiencing the hope of Jesus, during hurt, grief, or for the first time. I pray this song gives you hope in whatever season you are in. May it minister to your hearts in ways that only the Holy Spirit can.
*You can listen to Christy Kockels talk about this song and listen to it HERE.