Part Three of Five

There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 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 2:8–10 (NIV)

The candle for the third week of Advent is the pink Joy Candle. It’s also known as the Shepherd’s Candle due to the joyful news that the angel told the shepherds.

The Joyful Announcement

What was the joyful news?

“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior–yes, the Messiah, the Lord–has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Luke 2:10b–14 NLT

The Importance of the Message

The Savior had come! He brought peace between God and those with whom He was pleased. The long-awaited Messiah was prophesied to be the deliverer of Israel (Isaiah 35:1–10). He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom forever (Isaiah 9:7).  

This good news doesn’t just apply to Israel. the Lord said it applies to people of all nations (Isaiah 42:6 and Isaiah 49:6). The righteous Simeon alluded to that in his praise to the Lord while he held baby Jesus in his arms in the temple.

“For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations; a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” Luke 2: 30–32 (NIV).

A deeper look at who the Lord had receive the birth announcement of His Son.

The shepherds are surprising recipients of the announcement. The birth of the Messiah was not announced to the religious leaders or “important” influencers, but to the “lowest of the low.” Shepherds’ work took them away from society. If they dealt with a dead animal or blood they would be ceremonially unclean.

I find it reassuring that if God would announce His Son’s birth to the humble and seemingly unimportant, that He wants me to know it, too.

The shepherds in the Bethlehem area may have been those who raised the spotless lambs for the temple sacrifices. Those shepherds knew very well the death of the lambs were for sin. Would they recognize the baby in the manger as the sacrificial Lamb of God?

A Needed Response: What to Do with Jesus

After the angels left, the shepherds didn’t huddle around a fire discussing what they saw. They immediately went and found Jesus.

The shepherds didn’t keep the good news to themselves.

After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished…. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. Luke 2:17–18, 20 (NLT)

Imagine the shepherds’ excitement as they shared about the Savior coming. Yet sometimes I lose the excitement myself. Oh, that I would be quick to respond and then faithfully tell everyone I meet that Jesus has come to save us from the punishment of our sin! He gives us light in the darkness and makes it possible to be reconciled to God.

What will you do with the message of Jesus?

I pray you have received the salvation Jesus offers through faith in Him.

• If you have, I rejoice with you.
• If you have not yet done so, what holds you back?

Do you share about Jesus with others? If so, how do you do it? Please share in the comments.

Let’s welcome the joy that the angels shared. Jesus is the peace between us and God. He is the Savior.

Lord God, thank you for seeing our need for a deliverer and providing for us. Thank you for sending us Jesus. Amen.

~~~

Thank you for reading my devotionals. You can go back to past devotionals, including the rest of the Advent series, the 2025 Clay in the Potter’s Hands series, the Attributes of God: A to Z series in 2024, or others dating back to August 2020. Click on the date under the title to expand the text.

# # #

Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV): Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan.

Scriptures marked NLT are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW LIVING TRANSLATION (NLT): Scriptures taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW LIVING TRANSLATION, Copyright©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Picture of The shepherds find Jesus by libraryofcongress is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0