Advent: The Shepherd Candle.

"Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty expanse.

Praise Him for His mighty deeds;

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.

Praise Him with trumpet sound;

Praise Him with harp and lyre.

Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;

Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.

Praise Him with loud cymbals;

Praise Him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!" Psalm 150

"The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told to them." Luke 2:20

This candle reminds us of the importance of praising God for the wondrous things He has done for us in our lives. Under the star-filled sky, in the fields near Bethlehem, a shepherd watched over his flock. He heard the distant call of a wolf and strained his eyes in that direction, recounting his sheep to see that none were missing.

That night seemed unusually quiet, a strange quiet. Suddenly the stillness was broken by a sound like rushing wind. All the shepherds looked up and saw a figure who was different from anything they had ever seen before. All around was a great glow of light. Can you imagine how frightened they were!

What a great message of praise. "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord!" Suddenly there were many figures, all like the first, and they were praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace to all men in whom his favor rests!"

Something for the kiddos to think about:

Would you have believed the angels' news and left your sheep in the fields?

Share with each other how you might have responded if you had been a shepherd.

The response of the shepherds is a good one for all of us to follow!