1 Once in royal David's city
stood a lowly cattle shed,
where a mother laid her baby
in a manger for his bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ, her little child.
2 He came down to earth from heaven
who is God and Lord of all,
and his shelter was a stable,
and his cradle was a stall:
with the poor, and mean, and lowly,
lived on earth our Savior holy.
3 And thro' all his wondrous childhood
he would honor and obey,
love and watch the lowly maiden
in whose gentle arms he lay:
Christian children all must be
mild, obedient, good as he.
4 And our eyes at last shall see him,
thro' his own redeeming love;
for that child so dear and gentle
is our Lord in heav'n above:
and he leads his children on
to the place where he is gone.
5 Not in that poor lowly stable,
with the oxen standing by,
we shall see him, but in heaven,
set at God's right hand on high;
when like stars his children crowned
all in white shall wait around.
Cecil Frances Alexander
A Children's Carol
Let's not forget that "Once in Royal David's City" is really a Children's Carol. It's a pity then that two of the verses which Cecil wrote for the instruction of children are rarely sung today.
That perhaps is a reminder of the way we grown ups tend to despise children, just as the disciples of old. Of course we would never say so, but we feel ourselves above childish things and simple truths.
But Jesus was not. All his teaching was simple and accessible to everyone. And he rebuked his disciples' proud grown-up attitudes when he said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matt 19:14).
Every sermon should be so simple that a child can understand. One old preacher encouraged other preachers to "place some of the grain low near to the floor" so the children should reach it!
The mark of good preaching is not erudition and learning - that's a dark shadow cast by the ice cold university upon the church - the mark of great preaching is that a child can understand it.
It is said that when Charles Spurgeon returned to his pulpit after many weeks of leave it was the children who most welcomed him back most.
A Babe no Longer
All that may be as it is, but now to the final verse of our Children's Carol. Cecil reminds her little audience that, looking forward to the consumation of all things, when we see Jesus it will not be "in that poor lowly stable, with the oxen standing by." No! Instead "we shall see him in heaven, set at God's right hand above."
And so we remember today that Jesus, born, crucified and raised from the dead has been exalted to the highest place and been given the name above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11).
Crowned in White
One day, our grimy clothes of time will be exchanged for the white robes of eternity and like the stars, his children wearing crowns, we will gather around the throne of God and the Lamb.
How wonderful to have our vision on December the 9th raised beyond tinsel and wrapping paper, above chocolates and Christmas trees to our final home.
May the Lord's people be recognised this December by their other-worldliness! In a season where people are going OTT on Christmas to compensate for the restrictions of Covid, may the Lord's people set their affections on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
A SONG FOR THE DAY
And so, again, another song to lift our eyes above the here and now. You can sing along to "He is Worthy" HERE.
A PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Our eternal Father,
We thank you for every good gift that comes down from you. We thank you for the amazing skill of medical experts who have come up with a vaccine to combat this new disease, and we thank you for every other medical advance that has made our lives less painful and more pleasant.
We thank you for the little ones you have placed in the midst of every Christian fellowship, whose simple faith is a rebuke to our grown up fears and doubts. Teach us the sweet humility and simple trust of a child.
And teach us today, whatever worries press in upon us, to look upward to you and forward to the Great Day of Christ's return.
We ask this in Jesus' Name
Amen
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