As readers are undoubtedly familiar with the story of the birth of the boy-king, they will also know that among those lucky few invited to the birth were brothers Dennis and Roland the shepherds, and married shepherds Meridith and Larry Johnson.

From the living room of the brothers’ hovel in the desert southwest of Bethlehem, the four described what it was like the days leading up to the birth.

"There we were, four of us shepherds resting one night after a long day of shepherding, when suddenly a bright light appears before us," Dennis explained. "We hear this beautiful voice telling us that the Savior was to be born, the King of Kings. She said that we were ‘all invited; informal dress; no gifts necessary.’

"Well, it’s not every day an angel invites you anywhere, much less to the birth of God’s son, so we boxed up our sheep and had them shipped the rest of the way, and did what the angel bidded us. Bide us. … Boud us. …We did what she said."

Just as the angel of the Lord had instructed, the shepherds spent the remainder of the night making their way across the desert, following what has since become known as the "Star of Bethlehem." Only once did they run into trouble, when Meridith ate some bad olives and for the next hour accused her husband, Larry, of being a houseplant.

"It wasn’t just the olives," Roland said, laughing. "It so happens that Larry looks an awful lot like a geranium. When we first met, I kept wanting to move him into the sun."

The next morning, as they traversed one more of dozens of hills, the four found themselves filled with a joy they had never yet known when they suddenly spotted Bethlehem aglow in the amber sunrise.

"That was a long night of walking, let me tell you," Dennis said. "But anticipation for the birth of the Savior kept our hearts and hopes leaping for joy. It was wonderful when we arrived in Bethlehem. It was still pretty early, so we decided to go to the inn and get some rest … . And, well, um …"

"Go on and tell him, Dennis," Roland interrupted. "He’s going to find out anyway."

"Well," Dennis continued, "we took the last room at the inn. I mean, how were we to know?"

"I loved the little soaps," Meridith whispered.

When contacted by the Tribune, Mabel the Innkeeper confirmed their story. "They were very nice," she said. "Smelled a bit."

When pressed, Mabel admitted she felt terrible about turning away the young couple who came to her door later that night, but expressed frustration that the same angel in charge of invitations hadn’t thought to call ahead for reservations.

That evening, as the four shepherds were waking from their day of rest, Joseph and Mary were doing the best they could to settle into a nearby grotto. Joseph formed a bed out of hay for his weary wife as several curious farm animals watched their every move.

"The grotto was softly lit by the Star of Bethlehem," Dennis said, the other three shepherds nodding in agreement. "And there they sat, Mary, Jesus and Joseph -- the Holy Family. It was beautiful beyond description."

"At first we were afraid to approach them," Roland admitted. "But as we stood our distance, kneeling to the Baby Jesus, Mary waved at us to come closer."

"Looking into the Child’s eyes, that’s when we realized," Dennis said. "We weren’t there to welcome the newborn King, he was there to welcome us."

Soon … er … Soon it will be 2007, years after those educational movies we watched in grade school told us that we would have colonized the moon, that we would commute to work by flying car, and that the world – from hair dryers to ovens — would be powered by "our friend the atom."

So, how come I’m still driving a pick-up? And why is it that in 2007, I’m still unable to spend my vacation on the moon? What’s more, years ago we were told that one day soon we’d be chatting with dolphins, yet today it’s enough just to get my dog to help out with the housework. Why, Mr. Scientist? Why?!

Just as we credit the geniuses of ancient history for creating astronomy, geometry, the pyramids, and the Roman aqueducts, some day the wizened scientists of the future will credit the people of the early 21st Century with having created the . . . iPod.

Now, some of you may be asking, "But Dave, what exactly is an iPod?"

My answer? I don’t know. I don’t own one. I’ve never even seen one up close. The only thing I do know is that it won’t do anything to get my car off the ground.

One hundred and twenty years ago we didn’t have automobiles, airplanes, telephones, or television. In a matter of about 50 years or so we had all four. What have we done in the last 50 years? Well, apart from flying to the moon (granted, that was a biggee), we’ve managed to come up with home computers, DVD players, high definition TV, and about a thousand ways to communicate with each other that doesn’t include talking.

We’ve invented dozens of hand held devices designed to help us adapt to an increasingly faster paced society, which have the side-effect of causing us to ignore the human beings around us at an increasingly faster pace. They also cause us to walk into the occasional street sign, which isn’t good for interpersonal relations either, unless the other person happens to be a paramedic.

If you want to see the classic image of an early 21st Century human, you need look no farther than the TV commercial. Have you seen the one where the two guys are sitting on the park bench? One has a speedy laptop computer that uploads his file in seconds. The other’s computer is so slow that buzzards gaze at him as if he’s some sort of business world carrion.

I don’t know about you, but if I’m sitting on a park bench on a beautiful day, the last thing I want to be doing is uploading files. Give me a few playful squirrels, some hungry pigeons and a dozen trees, and I’m happy. Throw in a computer and you might as well put up four walls, a barred window, and a cell mate named Ox.

And kids’ commercials? They have youth either dancing down the street listening to music while in their own little world – you know the one: it’s the world in which you can dance down the street without getting arrested — or they’re hypnotized by a hand held video game in which they’re blowing someone to smithereens.

The world of invention – that world of imagination that once gave us the airplane – just isn’t doing it for me any more. In fact, I think sometimes that maybe the world of invention that gives us so many diversions, might be taking us in the wrong direction. As technology increases — as life becomes easier and easier, and the struggle becomes one for more conveniences — I think that we slowly lose our drive to connect with those around us.

In this Vocation’s issue, you’ll read about (you better read about it; you’ll be tested on it in the morning) several people who have traded a life of pursuing their own treasures for one in which they offer themselves in service to others.

Now, I’m no Mother Teresa, or Billy Graham, or Billy Joel for that matter. In fact, I can’t carry a tune at all. Not that that matters. In fact, I don’t even know why I wrote that. But I do know what it’s like to serve, and while "vocations" aren’t just about becoming a priest or a sister, they are about serving – somehow, some way. And I’m telling you, serving others is food for the soul.

We don’t need people out there inventing more ways to preoccupy our time, what we need are those people willing to look at their life as God’s tool for serving others. What’s your vocation?