By Leann Callaway
Correspondent, The Alabama Baptist
With the release of her highly anticipated debut Christmas album “The Thrill of Hope,” three-time Dove Award-winning recording artist Christy Nockels desires to help listeners reflect on the reason for the season with anticipation, expectancy and joy.
In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the busy weeks leading up to Christmas, Nockels hopes these songs will help listeners slow down and focus on our Savior.
“I want people to experience Jesus through these songs,” Nockels said. “I wanted these songs to be filled with deep and meaningful truths about Jesus that could seep into our hearts when we are doing things like wrapping presents or decorating around the house.
“That’s what I always desire to do as a songwriter and as a musician is to merge deep, meaningful truths with beautiful lyrics. … I want people to experience the life that Jesus offers in the here and now — that He is with us, He is Emmanuel. That’s my heart for this album.”
Special significance
In addition to several Christmas classics, the album features original songs inspired by Nockels’ favorite Christmas memories and traditions.
One of the new songs, “Amaryllis,” holds a special significance by providing hope and healing in her own life.
“The song was inspired by a gift that I received from my sister-in-law,” Nockels explained. “A few years ago, [she] gave me this ceramic pot and a beautiful letter. In that particular time in my life, it was a really hard season. We were approaching a real winter, but in my soul, it was winter as well. … It was a dark season for me personally. I was going through some loss with some things.”
‘Beautiful symbolism’
“During those times, God prunes us. He gives and takes away. I was experiencing trusting Him with some things that I didn’t understand and some things that were hurtful to me. My sister-in-law knew what I was struggling with, and she had the wisdom to write me this letter. … I pulled actual lines from her letter and turned it into a song.
“The whole gist of the song is that an amaryllis bulb grows in the winter. They don’t grow in the spring so there’s already this beautiful symbolism. … The beauty of it is that sometimes in the darkest seasons of our lives is when Jesus is still saying, ‘I’m with you. You can grow in winter even still.’
“As I watched that bulb come out of that white ceramic pot … I started thinking about Jesus and how He came when conditions were poor and how He was unexpected and how He surprised the night. He broke through a silence that the world had never known and a winter of the soul of the world. He brought with Him this life that He offers us today. The song refers to how we can break through the hardest of seasons and surprise the night just like our Savior did.”
During her December concerts, Nockels hopes to remind audiences about the importance of slowing down to savor every moment of the season.
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