Today we continue our season of Advent and light the third candle, the Candle of Joy.  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.

It’s not just moms and dads who are excited for their baby to be born. There’s usually a whole community of family and friends who can’t wait to see and hold that precious bundle of joy. These special guest stream into the hospital post-partum to hug mama, shake dad’s hand, and rejoice over that baby. They can’t wait to share in the joy of the newborn.

Jesus had some special guests as well who were excited to share in the joy of his birth. First came the shepherds.

Luke 2: ¹⁵  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.” ¹⁶  And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ¹⁷  And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.

 

And then came the wise men or the Magi.

 

Matthew 2: ¹  Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ²  saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” … ⁹  After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰  When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹  And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

These special guests, these shepherds and these Magi, were filled with tremendous joy in the birth of Jesus. And we pray that that same joy is in your heart because of Jesus this Christmas.

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!