The Twelve Days of Christmas Carols: Away in a Manger

Today I share with you my thoughts on a rather simple Christmas carol. Away in a Manger is a carol written with the faith of a child. Children are important. They are the future...and they are the present. It is a child we celebrate at Christmas and it is children Jesus tells us we must emulate. The simplicity of children gives us a model of holiness: accepting faith, longing hope, and generous charity. Despite the lack of theological depth, we see an immensity of spiritual depth.

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

We find in the first stanza a description of the lowly state of Jesus' first bed, where the Lord of the Universe and Creator of all lays sleeping under the luminaries He placed to guard the night sky. The humility of God expressed in the language of youth.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,
And stay by my side until morning is nigh.

The second stanza sees the Christ-child awake at the sounds of His creatures. He is held up as a model of peacefulness for children, who profess their love for Him now and ask Him to stay by them as they sleep, perhaps so that they may sleep as well as He had those many years ago.

Be near me Lord Jesus,
I ask thee to stay.
Close by me forever,
And love me I pray.

Jesus Christ, to whom children draw near on Christmas, when they recognize God in their midst, not just having become man, but having become a little boy. My son is 14 months old and continually walks over to our 1 month old daughter. That there is another child like him strikes his fancy and he can't help but be overcome with the joy and generous spirit of this solidarity (sometimes trying to give her one of daddy's shoes). How we ought to approach God with gratitude for his becoming one with us and with a sense of amazement, awe, and wonder. It is only natural to desire to be near to Him who chooses through His great love to draw near to us.

Bless all the dear children,
In thy tender care.
And take them to heaven,
To be with thee there.

Ultimately, our drawing close to Jesus cannot be only in this world. There is something offensive to us at the thought of God's coming to us only for a brief time. We say to Christ, "stay with us" (Luke 24:29). Yet to ask Him to stay with us in this flawed world would fall short and so we pray with the children, "take us to heaven, that we may stay with you there."

His Servant and Yours,

Micah