We were about to rap up our carol singing with "Silent Night" when Jonah interrupted us.
On the night of Jesus' birth some shepherds came to visit Jesus (see the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2). Shepherds were outcasts in the time that Jesus walked on the earth as a man. They were viewed as dirty, good-for-nothing thieves. When you saw them you were on high-alert, but acted as though you had not seen them. They never had a chance - shepherds were simply the bottom of the barrel and the worst was always assumed of them.
Well, an angel came to visit a group of shepherds when Jesus was born. And, unlike what most of us would have done, the angel invited them to Jesus' birth. Let that sink in. It should turn your world upside down.
Who would you invite to the birth of your child? Jesus decided to invite the least, the people no one want. As a man, he started his life that way (the shepherds), he lived his life that way (read the gospels), and he ended his life that way (the thief on the cross).
The good news is that death didn't beat Jesus. So, Jesus still lives the same way today and he is still inviting people to join him.
To listen to/watch the story of Jesus as told through the eyes of Jonah the shepherd, see the video by John Wallace below:
-- Will Dowell
