Christmas carols

No Crib For His Bed

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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.

Go Tell it on the Mountain!

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And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Luke 2:9-10 KJV

While Thanksgiving weekend is a big date on most of our calendars, life at the nursing home stays pretty much the same. Sure, there is a big inflatable turkey behind me, and they served a special lunch yesterday, but few of the residents received visits from family members and fewer still have even been outside in months. But, just like those shepherds, who were overlooked by everyone else, God is sending them His message, that Jesus Christ has come down, right where we are. He came to give His life, so that we could have our sins forgiven and be restored to a loving relationship with our Father in Heaven. So, let’s “Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere!”

A Christmas Gift For David

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And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ Matthew 25:40 NLT

This morning as I was planning this year’s nursing home Christmas outreach, I remembered how long ago a group of our 7-8-year-old Sunday School children came to sing carols. Their sweet voices as they sang in the dining room was amazing. They sang every song that we could think of, from Away in a Manger to Jingle Bells. The residents loved it and as we finished, the parents crowded in, snapping photos of their dear ones. Maybe the best part was the cookies made by one of the teenage girls. No one cared that they were just a shade overbaked, and as they passed them out the younger children tagged behind handing out Christmas cards and introducing themselves.

Just as our program was winding down, I remembered that, with no extra staff available to help, the residents of the respiratory unit on the second floor had been unable to come. So, I rounded up a small troupe of kids along with two parents and their Sunday School teacher, and then we headed to the elevator. The respiratory ward was populated with some of the youngest of those in the facility. Some had been in a car accident, others a stroke and one or two in the late stages of multiple sclerosis. After bringing our little flock to sing a couple of carols for a few people who I had met before, we headed down the hall. Suddenly, I heard a stranger’s voice calling. “Oh, if you have time, can they please come sing for David?”

“Absolutely!” I said, hoping that their parents didn’t mind that it was getting late. As we started into the room we saw there was a young man, lying in bed, with a breathing tube hooked up to his trach, and sitting nearby was his mother. The children timidly filed in around his bed and then with a little help from my guitar, started to sing. I don’t remember all the songs, but I vividly recall everyone’s tears flowing as the children finished the evening by singing Silent Night.

As they sang, sleep in heavenly peace” the sense of God’s peace was so amazing, that I was reminded of the first Christmas. On that night another child lay helpless, and he shivered, until Mary wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in the hay. Only at Allied Skilled Nursing, there were no wise men with gold, frankincense and myrrh. Instead, our children left a Christmas gift of hope, and their little smiles and timid waves as they said their good-byes reminded us that, no matter where we are, God remembers. And this Christmas, Jesus still waits for both wise men, and children to come and worship on their Silent Nights as well as in the middle of their busy days. I never told our children, but their newly made friend David lived only a few more weeks, and the gift they gave had been far more precious than they could have ever known!