Today I've brought a birthday cake to celebrate the day Jesus Christ was born. The cake has four candles on it, one for each of the past four weeks of Advent - the time when we prepared for this day. The larger white candle in the middle of the cake represents this very day - Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. (Light the candles.) The light that shines from the candles reminds us of the love of God which shines in us when we have faith and believe in the power of God's love.

Think about what it would feel like if each one of us could say, "My soul magnifies the Lord" and "my spirit has rejoiced in God my savior…" As you receive God's love, the love of your family and friends, and see the beautiful things in God's world, take time to feel that joy and give thanks. Magnify your joy!

The joy that Mary felt, as she prepared for the arrival of Jesus, is available to us as we celebrate his birth. Tonight, Christmas Eve, we have the opportunity to praise God and give thanks for his love. We "magnify the Lord" as we sing Christmas carols, read from the Bible, light candles, pray, and listen to the story of the birth of Jesus.