This week’s Advent topic is on joy; the joy this world has experienced through the birth of Jesus. We have officially crossed the halfway point in the season of Advent as we enter into the third week of preparation for the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In homes and churches across the world, we are now lighting the third candle of the Advent wreath, sometimes called the Shepherds’ Candle as the shepherds received the message of “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” from the angel of the Lord in the fields. This candle is traditionally rose in color since that is the liturgical color for joy. While happiness is a great emotion to experience, it is fleeting. Joy can be described as a much deeper state of being and is in fact a fruit of the Holy Spirit. In life, we are called to rise above just the things that make us happy. By aligning our Wills with His, we will be able to take part in the Joy of the Lord and the other fruits of His Holy Spirit. We must learn to allow ourselves to be filled up with the joy of God rather than happiness promised through the things of this world. The birth of Christ that brought Love incarnate into this world has given us a reason to rejoice and be glad. The joy found in our salvation through Jesus is something to meditate on this week. Thank you so much again for praying along with us and all of The Prayer Podcast listeners. Our hope is that we are able to provide you with another tool to bring you closer to God. If you have any specific prayer intentions, questions, or feedback for The Prayer Podcast, please check out: theprayerpodcast.fm/welcome to connect with us or sign up to be a part of our prayer chain email list. We are also available on all social media platforms. If you are interested in supporting this ministry, please visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/theprayerpodcast. Thank you and may God bless you!