The Third Candle of Advent: The Shepherd’s Candle.

By Todd Paetznick, December 14, 2023

“And 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. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told” (Luke 2:8-20 NIV).

Shepherds were the recipients of the angelic message announcing the arrival of the Messiah.  They experienced joy at the good news!   Interestingly, the angels did not relay the message to the Jewish religious leaders watching and waiting for the Messiah.  The political leaders were similarly excluded.  Why?  The answer goes to the angel’s message: it was for all the people!

In the corporate world, I have experienced situations where company executives would enjoy some benefit that was not intended for the rest of the people in the company.  I get it; certain perks need to be a part of executive compensation.  Most often, people in the higher ranks of the company were given company equity that was not given to the rest of us.  Sometimes, offsite planning meetings were held at exotic and highly desirable locations, but I never noticed Fargo, North Dakota, in January.  Sometimes, it was air travel benefits like first-class upgrades.  As a six-foot-four frequent traveler, I resented seeing smaller coworkers flying first class while I was required to squeeze into coach seats.  Regardless, the benefits enjoyed were not for all the people in the company, and they were not widely publicized.  

I imagine a similar situation would have occurred had the angels announced the arrival of the Messiah to the religious or political elite.  It is highly probable they would have kept the message to themselves and expected to enjoy the exclusive benefits of God becoming a man.  At the time of Jesus’ birth, there was an expectation that the Messiah would become the religious and political leader who would make Israel great again. They wanted to be a part of the winning team, but they had their personal success and profit in mind.  God had other ideas.  

By announcing Jesus’ arrival as a baby to shepherds first, the good news traveled quickly to many people, from those considered the least to the greatest, from the bottom to the top.  News does not always flow well in the other direction.  Because of God’s choice to go first to the shepherds, joy could be experienced by everyone.  God came to earth for all people, not just for the benefit of the elite, and not even just for the Jewish people.  God made it clear that salvation would be for everyone.  For this reason, we can all experience joy, just like the shepherds.