Joyful and Triumphant
The Shepherd’s Candle
A Grain of Psalt
There are certain scents that announce Christmas before you’ve hung a single ornament. For me, that scent has always been my mom’s wassail simmering on the stove. 
Growing up, the moment that pot started steaming, apple cider mingling with cloves, cinnamon, citrus and a little brown sugar, the season had officially begun. We drank it through Advent and on Christmas morning year after year. First in my parents’ home when I was little, then in their home again after I was married, and now here in my own kitchen since they’ve retired farther south. I still make her wassail several times throughout Advent and Christmas. It is the first taste of cheer in my house, and it never fails to warm the whole season.
So today, on this Third Sunday of Advent when we light the Shepherd’s Candle, the Candle of Joy, it felt fitting to begin with something warm and fragrant. Something that fills the whole house the way joy fills the whole heart. While the wassail gently simmers, we turn to the Scripture behind this week of Advent.
The Shepherd’s Candle is pink, the one candle that stands out from the others. Joy has a way of doing that. But biblical joy isn’t personality, mood, or seasonal cheer. It comes from one source alone: God Himself.
James writes, “Count it all joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds,” which is the opposite of how we use the word today. Joy is not the absence of trouble. Joy is the presence of God.
And that’s exactly what the shepherds experienced. They weren’t living comfortable, quiet lives. They were outside at night, working a job no one admired. Yet heaven opened above them, and the angel said, “I bring you good tidings of great joy.” They were the first to hear the best news in history.
Psalm 16 tells us, “In Your presence is fullness of joy.” The shepherds encountered the presence of God in the middle of their ordinary work, and then Scripture says they returned to their fields “glorifying and praising God.” Same job, same responsibilities, same life, but with hearts transformed by meeting Jesus.
That is Christian joy. It is steady. It is strong. It carries us through trials because, as James continues, “the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” God is completing His work in us.
So as this week begins, and as the wassail fills your kitchen with warmth and spice, let its fragrance remind you that joy is not something you have to manufacture. If you are in Christ, joy is already yours because He is already with you.
Light the Shepherd’s Candle. Pour a cup of something warm and delicious. And remember the night when heaven broke into the lives of ordinary people with extraordinary news.
Christ has come. Joy has come with Him.
Stay Psalted.
The Lord bless and keep you.
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⭐ Mom’s Christmas Wassail
(Mary Ann’s Family Recipe)
Ingredients
• 1 gallon apple cider
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1 cup orange juice (or half a can frozen concentrate, thawed)
• Half a can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup brown sugar (adjust to taste)
• 4 to 6 whole cinnamon sticks
• Whole cloves and whole allspice, placed in a spice ball or tied in cheesecloth
– about 1 tablespoon cloves
– about 1 tablespoon allspice
• Optional: a few slices of fresh orange for garnish
Instructions
- Pour the apple cider, pineapple juice, orange juice or concentrate, and lemonade concentrate into a large stock pot.
- Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Drop in the cinnamon sticks and the spice ball filled with cloves and allspice.
- Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and let it simmer at least 30 minutes, or up to several hours.
The longer it simmers, the better it tastes. - Remove the spice ball and cinnamon sticks before serving.
- Ladle into mugs and enjoy warm, possibly with a tot of rum.
This keeps beautifully in a slow cooker on warm, and it reheats extremely well. It also makes the whole house smell like Christmas. Which, as you know, is half the joy.