Week 3-Joy
The Shepherd’s Candle

Today, we light the third Advent candle, the candle of Joy. This candle is also known as the “Shepherd’s Candle” and is meant to remind us of the joy that the world experienced at the birth of Jesus, as well as the joy that we experience having reached the midpoint of Advent.

Monday, December 11th
Day 15-The World Turns Upside Down
Luke 2:8-10

The night was dark, and the sky was filled with stars. The shepherds were settled for the night watch around a small fire and small talk was giving way to silence. Lights were fading in the nearby town of Bethlehem. The flocks were safe and secure for now. All was quiet.

Then, suddenly, the sky was alive with fire! An angel beyond description with human words hovered over this group of shepherds. As the angel’s powerful voice broke the silence, the shepherds were startled out of their minds! Luke describes the scene…

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” Luke 2:9-10 NIV

With hearts racing and minds struggling to comprehend the message from the angel, the shepherds tremble in fear of this heavenly visitor. (Let’s be honest-we would have reacted in the same way!)

As with most angelic visitations in Scripture, the shepherds are encouraged to “not be afraid”. (See Mary and Joseph’s encounters). While the Scriptures give some detailed description of the physical appearance of the angels, we can only use our imagination to grasp what the shepherds saw that night in the sky. An angel must have been one awesome sight to behold!

That night on the hillside would forever change the lives of the shepherds who were watching over the flocks. That God would choose them of all people to whom the birth of the son of God would be announced must have been particularly shocking for them. But there they were blinded by the light of an angelic messenger bringing them “good news that will bring great joy” to all people for all time. They couldn’t even begin to truly comprehend what this meant and how this would change the world.

Prayer Emphasis: Journal a list of blessings in your life that were completely unexpected. Thank God today for each one.

For Family Discussion…
Tell about something completely unexpected that happened in your life. How did this change your life in big or small ways?
Try and put yourself in the shoes of the shepherds, what emotions do you think they experienced?

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