Today we lit the Shepherd's Candle. A candle of JOY. I wonder how much joy the shepherds knew before that night. I'm sure it wasn't an easy life. And then the angel shows up with a heavenly host ("host" is a word that has a military denotation to it). "Fear not." Angels are scary beings, not cute little bare babies--they are constantly telling people not to be afraid. "Fear not, for we bring you tidings of great JOY." Pastor Bruce noted today that "fear not" is probably the most given commandment in the Bible.
Fear seems to be always looming over us in today's society. I have fears. I fear that I'm failing at what I'm called to do. I fear that I'm not as great a husband or father as I should and could be. It can be easier to live in fear than in joy.
But joy is what we're called to--at least, it's what God desires for us to experience. And we have to be receptive to it. I can't imagine the joy the shepherds must have experienced when they did what the angel told them to, ran into Bethlehem, and spent time in the presence of God's Son. I know the joy I experience when I'm with my boys or with newborn babies. I can't imagine how much that joy would be compounded if the baby was Emmanuel--God with us. And really, that's all we need to remember to experience that joy--God is with us. And He invites us to come before Him.
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