Come and See - Pt 4

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” (Luke 2:8-15 ESV).

The third candle symbolizes joy and is called the "Shepherd’s Candle." To the shepherd’s great joy, the angels announced that Jesus came for humble, unimportant people like them, too. In liturgy, the color rose signifies joy. We should not overlook the background of this reading. The shepherds were waiting for morning. They were waiting for the sky to light up the sun rose in the eastern sky. It was not to witness the beauty of God’s handiwork. It was because that meant another night was over and their sheep were safe. When the sun came up, there would be other shepherds to help watch the flocks by day. Night was more dangerous for sheep: it was easier for them to wander off, and there were more predators around. So the shepherds waited for morning. And instead of morning, they saw something totally unexpected: a sky full of angels, singing the praises of God and the Savior who had just been born. Their normal night was turned into something extraordinary and a night they would never forget. They were busy waiting for the night to be over, but something better than morning was coming. During the mundane times of our lives, sometimes when pain seems endless, it feels like the night will last forever. Perhaps you have trouble sleeping and it seems like the night will never end. Or perhaps you’re slightly afraid of the dark and it feels like it goes on forever. Or maybe the days at school seem to drag on. Maybe you watch the clock for the last hour of the day, waiting and waiting for the bell to ring and the school day to be over. But sometimes, amazing things happen. Like the shepherds, we don’t always expect extraordinary things to happen in our ordinary days. But sometimes, God breaks into our days and we are awestruck. Maybe God does something big, like answer a prayer in a huge way. Or maybe it’s something small, like when someone gives you a hug and makes your day better. Whatever it is, spend your days waiting with anticipation that God will do something. God is always at work even we don’t always see it. God probably isn’t going to send thousands of angels to sing the good news like He did for the shepherds when Jesus was born. But as we go through our normal days waiting for them to be over, make sure to also be on the lookout for God to do something. He always will! That is the story of Christmas!