Have you ever received an unexpected invitation? Maybe something you didn’t think you deserved? In the Waypoints manga “The Shepherds’ Invitation” we meet some people who received just such an invitation. This Christmas story is adapted from one of the Bible’s stories about the time of Jesus’ birth (you can read it yourself in Luke 2:8-20).
People in those days were waiting for the “Christ” or “Messiah” — the One the Jewish Scriptures promised would come to save us. People also referred to this coming-one as “the King of the Jews.” Jesus was the fulfillment of this promise, so it should have been pretty big news when he arrived.
And yet, the angel didn’t go to the temple or palace to announce the birth of Jesus to some VIP’s in the Jewish or Roman world. No, this invitation came to a bunch of unknown, ordinary shepherds.
The Bible doesn’t tell us much about these shepherds. We don’t know their names, their ages, or how many there were. We can assume that they were just ordinary people. So how did they respond?
Excitedly the shepherds said, “LET’S GO!”
They found the baby, with his mother and father (who were also very ordinary people) staying in very simple, rough, dirty lodging — a humble beginning for King Jesus.
But Jesus, clearly, is a very different kind of king.
This all begs the question: Why did the angels appear and send the shepherds to see Jesus? Why, of all people, a bunch of shepherds?
This story shows us that God cares about ordinary, lowly people. People who, in this world, often feel forgotten. We see this not only here but in Jesus’ life and ministry — his followers were ordinary, mostly blue-collar types, not well-educated nobles. And we see throughout his career that Jesus reaches out and welcomes the poor, the outcasts and the hurting.
Do you ever feel forgotten? Jesus cares. God has not forgotten you.
The shepherds’ story is a message and example to us. God cares about us, no matter how insignificant we may feel. He hasn’t forgotten us. Jesus Christ came to show us God’s love and to save us.
The question is, how will we respond? The shepherds give us a good example. They went to see for themselves if this good news was true.
What will YOU do?
