The Shepherds' Joy: The Third Sunday of Advent
- Anna Portillo
- Dec 13
- 2 min read
by Anna Portillo
Sunday, December 14, 2025
join us for weekly Advent devotions & daily readings, from Vive Charlotte Church (available in English & Spanish)
The word “Advent” means “coming,” and as we see another lighted candle join the flickering light on the wreath each Sunday of Advent, it is a visible reminder that our waiting for His coming is not stagnant, but moving forward! The first Sunday’s candle spoke of the hope foretold by the prophets of the coming Savior; and last Sunday, the second candle illuminated this hope as a specific promise of God’s love that would be displayed as the Messiah came into the humble town of Bethlehem. And while the centuries of waiting for these promises were long and filled with anguish, sin, darkness, and gloom, God had not forgotten. He knew His perfect timing for sending the Savior, and He knew every detail of His perfect plan.
Perhaps the waiting and longing after God’s promises feels familiar. We read, we pray, but the waiting feels long; we wonder if God has forgotten? We feel the weight of sin and sorrow, and we groan. On the other hand, we forget the promises of God, and seek to fill our souls with anything we can grasp that might bring us some measure of happiness right now. This Sunday, we lit the third candle on the Advent wreath which points us to the shepherds’...[click here to read more]
Anna Portillo is the wife of HLI's Executive Director, José Portillo. Aside from being a wife and mother, Anna is a freelance author and editor in her spare time, with a number of published books and devotionals for adults and children. She also writes regularly for the Retratos blog, and serves in Women's ministries and in leading worship and Vive Charlotte Church.
Please consider giving to HLI, that the Lord may continue multiplying the resources for the training, encouragement, renewal, and multiplication of new leaders in and for the Hispanic-American context, and even beyond.
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