Advent Week Three Reflection

(If you are celebrating with an Advent wreath, light the pink candle.)

Read:

Luke 2:8-20

Reflect:

The candle we light this week is different from the others. Sometimes, this pink candle is called the “Shepherd Candle.” It symbolizes the joy of the shepherds as they ran through the streets of Bethlehem in the middle of the night, shouting that the long-awaited Savior had come! It was news too good to sleep through and too good to keep to themselves! The people of Bethlehem might have thought the shepherds were crazy. But, really, they would have been crazy to stay quiet. Believers still share the Good News in ways that might seem crazy. In parts of Africa, believers joyously proclaim Jesus’s love with music and megaphones on the backs of trucks as they drive down streets. Reminds you of the shepherds, right? And then there are the thousands of believers who risk everything to share Jesus with their neighbors. Their ministry might be quieter, but it’s just as daring. As you light the pink candle, reflect on how the love of Jesus makes us notably different, transforms us into people of bold joy with news that is way too good to keep to ourselves.

Pray:

This week, as you pray through India and Asia Pacific, ask God to fill believers with joy and boldness to carry his love to their neighbors and communities. If you feel courageous, ask God to show you his love so powerfully that you can’t help but share it.