Day #4!

This is part of my Christmas Song Countdown--see Day 6 and Day 5.

The HYMN:

Once in Royal David's City
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.

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.

And our eyes at last shall see him,

Through 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.

(listen HERE)

This song provides a stark contrast--it begins by saying it is in 'royal David's city'. Then it tells us that the Lord and God of all came down to a lowly cattle shed. This is a perfect parallel to the Savior's life--"With the poor, and mean, and lowly, Lived on earth our Savior holy." On earth, the King of Kings was always in the most humble circumstances. He served the poor, humble, meek, teachable. The rich young rulers and the respected religious leaders were not those he taught--mostly because they would not be taught. We need to remember that in order to be always open to the Savior and His gospel, we must be humble. And then, one day, we will come to the same place where our Savior has already gone--the most glorious place of all, full of the right kinds of riches.

The CHILDREN'S SONG:

The Nativity Song

This is the season beloved of the year.

Sing a rhyme; Christmastime soon will be here.

Tell the true story of Jesus' birth,

When, as a baby, he came to the earth.

This is the new star, shining so bright,

Lighting the world on that first Christmas night.

This is the angel proclaiming the birth,

Singing "Hosanna!" and "Peace on the earth!"

This is the stable, shelter so bare;

Cattle and oxen first welcomed him there.

This is the manger, sweet hay for a bed,

Waiting for Jesus to cradle his head.

These are the shepherds, humble and mild,

Hast'ning to worship the heavenly child.

These are the wise men who followed the star,

Frankincense, gold, and myrrh brought from afar.

See the sweet mother, Mary so fair,

Joseph, who guided the donkey with care.

See the dear baby of Bethlehem,

Little Lord Jesus, the Savior of men.

(listen HERE)

This is a simple song, much like the things and people it's describing. The tune is quiet and simple, matching the words. My very favorite line is the last one. To really grasp why it's my favorite, you need to hear/sing the song. It all leads up to the Christ child--the star, the stable, the animals, the visitors, Mary and Joseph--it all ends up at the center of Christmas, the most important part, the reason for Christmas: Christ. 

Have a wonderful day and I am sorry this post is late!!!