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We have the great news of salvation through Jesus Christ, but sometimes we find ourselves struggling to share it with others. Even when talking with friends, we can upset them just by telling them they need a savior. We can look at the apostle Philip's evangelism to Nathanael for help and comfort when we do our own evangelism.

Jesus' baptism, which is when he was visibly anointed, serves many purposes for our benefit. Most importantly, it makes it abundantly clear that he is the king of all creation, and he is true God who became true man to save us.

When people see Jesus as just a child in the manger, or just a man dying on a cross, or just a wise man with teachings of kindness, they deny his deity. Other people deny him as their savior outright, including Christians whose beliefs fall into legalism or antinomianism.

Like Simeon when he held the baby Jesus, we can boast about our Savior and the salvation he brought. We do this by reading and hearing God's Word, by living our lives as Christians, and by sharing the good news of our LORD's incarnation with our friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers.

The fourth candle on the Advent wreath which we light is the Angel candle. God sent angels to deliver the messages of Jesus' birth, and they will take part in delivering the message of Jesus' return. We know their messages are from God because angels appearing in all their glory is a miracle in and of itself.

The third candle on the Advent wreath which we light is the Shepherds' candle because God first gave the good news of our savior's birth to shepherds. We see the significance in that because Jesus is the shepherd of all Christians, and because the shepherds were average people who would effectively spread the good news to others.

Using the prophet Isaiah God tells us how great the new of our savior's coming is. Just like the Israelite facing the persecution from and slavery to the Babylonians, we can face our struggles and afflictions in peace because we have that good news of our salvation through Jesus. We also see how this news still applies today even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The second candle on the Advent wreath which we light reminds us that God, through the prophets of the Old Testament, even revealed where the savior would be born. We continue to see how God preserved the lineage for Jesus to be born according to the prophecies. His humble birth in Bethlehem reminds us that he came to save all mankind, and even though he is king of all creation, his true throne is in our hearts.

Through the prophet Isaiah God explained his plan to bring salvation to the world, and we find comfort in knowing that prophecy was fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Furthermore, we should spread this comfort to both our fellow Christians and the rest of the world by sharing the good news of forgiveness and salvation.