Today we continue our season of Advent and light the fourth candle, the Candle of Love.  Our Advent theme this year is “A Stained Glass Baby Book.”  Many of our mothers kept a baby book with details and highlights from our first few years of life.  In our Advent season, we will walk through some of the details and highlights of the most glorious baby ever born.

One of the best pieces of mail to show up in our mailbox is when we get a birth announcement from a family that has just had a baby.  They’re usually loaded up with cute pictures of the newborn and maybe some of the family members.  The child’s name is usually prominent along with his or her birthday and birth weight.  Parents are proud as peacocks to tell the whole world that their little bundle of love has finally arrived.

Jesus’ Father sent out a birth announcement too.  No, it wasn’t delivered by a mailman or didn’t come in a mailbox.  It came straight from Heaven through the mouths of angels.

We read in Luke 2:8-14…

⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

God the Father couldn’t wait to share the good news that Jesus, God the Son incarnate, had been born.  Love for Jesus led Him to celebrate, and love for sinners caused Him to share the good news far and wide.  And that love is still going forth to this day.  We pray that you will receive that love and feel that love this Christmas.

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!