Luke 2:7 ESV And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
My recollections from milking our cow, named Blossom have given me a unique perspective of the “little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay”. It is usually quiet in the barn at night, but on that one special evening the silence was interrupted by a mother’s groans and a child’s cry. Our dear Lord humbly came, allowing His tiny arms and legs to be wrapped in swaddling clothes and His small head found its rest on a rough pile of hay in the ciw’s feeding trough. I hope my memories may bring the echo of this song back to your heart as you listen to our singing.
“Be near me Lord Jesus I ask Thee to stay. Close by me forever and love me I pray.”
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 KJV
For those whose farming experience comes only from watching “Little House on the Prairie,” the manger scene may sound idyllic. But for those of us who have milked cows, picked up bales of hay and fed the chickens, the words, “The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay” have a completely different meaning. You might not know this, but in a barn when “The cattle are lowing,” they are often doing other unpleasant things not appealing to a mother who has just given birth! But for all these oversights in this children’s carol, the central truth still rings loud and clear: Jesus was a real baby! He was not just an infant with a halo around His head, posing for a portrait, smiling for the wise men and lifting His tiny hands to bless shepherds. God’s Son was born in a barn, His first bed was a feeding trough and the sights and smells around Him were not Frankincense and myrrh. God’s chosen place for the birth of Jesus was so that both children and wise men, shepherds and small town folks, could draw near. It doesn’t make sense. It isn’t dignified. It looked like it would never work. And yet it did. Jesus heard the sounds of chickens, He touched the rough hay, and smelled the barn animals just as we do. Then one day, He was given a crown to wear covered with thorns. Then He was beaten, given vinegar to drink, nailed to a cross and left to die on a cold dark hilltop. He did it all so that anyone who would believe in Him could be forgiven. Today He invites you to come, whether your home is in a barn or a mansion because He loves you and wants to make you His own!
Away in a Manger 1895 Author unknown music by Willaim Kirkpatrick
Caligiuri, Peter. A Christmas Treasury: Large Print Edition (pp. 5-6). Kindle Edition.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17 ESV
The last few weeks have been a blur of events and emotions. Our California trip to attend my wife’s sister’s funeral and then 5 Christmas Services at different long-term care facilities have all blurred together in my mind. Last night we settled down to watch White Christmas (20 times and counting!) and slowed down enough to catch our collective breathes. We will not see family but are grateful that we have children and grandchildren to miss. We have each other, a few friends and a quiet life. How different our experience is from Mary and Joseph on a chilly night in Bethlehem.
The stable was dark and dank. There was no soft bed for Mary to lie on, no nurse or even mid-wife to attend. When the baby came, Joseph tried his best to find a place to lay him, but a feeding trough was all he found. There in that cold dark place the love of God was born as a fragile child, wrapped in rough cloth and laid in a hay bin. That Holy Night reminds me of another cold dark day, thirty-three years later when God’s love was poured out again. This time on a rough wooden cross, with blood streaming down from His hands and feet Jesus gave Himself for us. Now anyone willing to come as a child can find forgiveness and receive His gift of love (Eternal Life). May God bless you and watch over you in this Holiday season. Jesus still comes and God’s love is still being poured out. What we need are the eyes of children to see Him and receive His gift today! My song video this week features Away in a Manger. Have a blessed week all!
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