During this message, Pastor Joe Still lights the “Pink Candle” of Advent representing JOY as we also peer deeply into the lives of those whom GOD chose to be the first to personally meet His Son. Advent invites us to wait with expectation, but it also invites us to rejoice! Few scenes capture this joyful wonder better than the shepherds in Luke 2:8–18. These ordinary, overlooked workers on a hillside become the first to hear heaven’s announcement of Christ’s birth. Their response reveals what true Advent joy looks like. Luke tells us the shepherds were “living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night”—doing their routine work, in the quiet darkness. Into that darkness bursts the glory of the Lord and the voice of an angel proclaiming “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Advent joy begins not with our effort but with God’s initiative. Joy breaks in as God reveals Himself, even in the ordinary places of life. The angel’s message is specific and personal: “Unto you is born this day… a Savior.” Advent joy is rooted in the reality that God’s salvation is not distant or theoretical. It is for you. The shepherds didn’t have to climb up to heaven; heaven came to them in the form of a baby, JESUS!