Butter Flies
Christmas Hymn of the Day
“Once In Royal David’s City”
Author: Cecil Frances Alexander
“Once In Royal David’s City”
Author: Cecil Frances Alexander
Based on Luke 2:10-12
"Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe, wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger'”.
"Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe, wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger'”.
Once in royal David’s city stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a Mother laid her Baby in a manger for His bed;
Mary, loving 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, the scorned, the lowly, lived on earth our Savior holy.
Jesus is our childhood’s pattern; day by day, like us, He grew,
He was little, weak and helpless, tears and smiles, like us, He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness, and He shareth in our gladness.
And our eyes at last shall see Him, through His own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle is our Lord in heaven above;
And He leads His children on to the place where He is gone.
Where a Mother laid her Baby in a manger for His bed;
Mary, loving 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, the scorned, the lowly, lived on earth our Savior holy.
Jesus is our childhood’s pattern; day by day, like us, He grew,
He was little, weak and helpless, tears and smiles, like us, He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness, and He shareth in our gladness.
And our eyes at last shall see Him, through His own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle is our Lord in heaven above;
And He leads His children on to the place where He is gone.
(Used by Permission - Public Domain)
~ Meditation ~
“In The City of David This Day!”
Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895) is the author of this charming carol that tells so simply and yet so beautifully the Nativity story. I have always wanted to use this hymn for a Christmas pageant with children acting out the various stanzas of the hymn, for I find the imagery and symbolism exquisite, even though the hymn itself contains very little “theology”.
The hymn is, rather, a carol - a story - visualizing at a child’s level the clause in the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary”. Ms. Alexander is also the author of "All Things Bright and Beautiful", and "Jesus Calls Us O’er the Tumult".
The first verse of the hymn is a version of the Scripture contained in Luke 2:4, and 7, which reads “Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David . . . And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn". (NKJ)
The second verse begins with the theological concept of the pre-existence and deity of Jesus, then adds details of the Nativity in a kind of "word picture". Luke, however, does not come right out and say that Jesus was born in a stable; every household had a manger for its donkey or goat. It is possible that some kind-hearted woman took Mary into her home.
In the third verse we find the words of Luke 2:51-52 paraphrased. We read, “Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was subject to them, but His Mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” The picture of Jesus as a perfect child comes into focus in these lines. The last line of the verse presents two of the attributes of perfect character – sympathy and sharing.
The fourth verse of this charming hymn/carol expresses our hope of heaven which Jesus has promised to all who love Him. (I Corinthians 2:9 – “…Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those that love Him …”) This is a lovely poem, one that should be sung AS children WITH children everywhere.
Once again we find a poet who has been inspired by the beautiful words of the Nativity story. She is one who is so full of this beauty that she wants to find a way to share her wonder with little children . . . to teach them the story in song. We would all be wise to approach Christmas as little children. We are reminded of Jesus’ words, “You must become as little children . . . “. When we are able to put aside the cynicism with which a lot of us live on a day-to-day basis, and approach matters of faith as children do, we find much less to trouble us. We don’t have to become great theologians to understand the mysteries of scripture. We don’t have to become great philosophers to get to the “truth” we so desperately seek.
I will confess something to you. I don’t like simplistic answers to difficult questions, as a general rule. I find life much too complex and issues far too weighty to find much comfort in simplistic answers. I am not able to picture myself fitting into a church that has at its core these “simple” answers to the difficult problems in life, such as “Why do bad things happen to good people?” It is not enough for me to hear, “Because God wanted it that way.” It isn’t that I doubt the Will of God, but that I believe His will to be multi-layered. I believe that God’s will must be understood at a deeper level than simply “He wanted it that way”, so I keep looking for the deeper answers to the tough questions.
Christmas is a different matter for me, though. At no other season of the Church can I let myself go and see the wonder of the Nativity through a child’s eyes. I love the story, the music, the lights, the wonder, the mystery, the awe, the angels and shepherds, the Wise Men, the lessons of the Scriptures and the carols of the poets from ages gone by. I can become as a little child for a period of time, and revel in the simple joys of the Season. I hope you can too!!!!
Prayer - Dear Father of us all, thank you again for coming to earth in the person of your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We have read today the simple words of a simple song, intended to teach the great truths of the Nativity story to children. Grant us the hearts and the faith of little children and help us to understand the great mystery of Christmas. We see the sights and we hear the sounds, and sometimes, Lord, we confess, we are cynical and we are tired, and we fail to get the message into our hearts. We believe, help our unbelief, for we pray in Jesus’ blessed Name, Amen ~
Activity - Visit a museum or a special Christmas display. Callaway Gardens has their Fantasy in Lights going on - - - Lake Lanier Islands has a beautiful light show. There are family activities at Stone Mountain Park, and many more opportunities. These are wonderful ways to experience the beauty of the season.
The hymn is, rather, a carol - a story - visualizing at a child’s level the clause in the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary”. Ms. Alexander is also the author of "All Things Bright and Beautiful", and "Jesus Calls Us O’er the Tumult".
The first verse of the hymn is a version of the Scripture contained in Luke 2:4, and 7, which reads “Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David . . . And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn". (NKJ)
The second verse begins with the theological concept of the pre-existence and deity of Jesus, then adds details of the Nativity in a kind of "word picture". Luke, however, does not come right out and say that Jesus was born in a stable; every household had a manger for its donkey or goat. It is possible that some kind-hearted woman took Mary into her home.
In the third verse we find the words of Luke 2:51-52 paraphrased. We read, “Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was subject to them, but His Mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” The picture of Jesus as a perfect child comes into focus in these lines. The last line of the verse presents two of the attributes of perfect character – sympathy and sharing.
The fourth verse of this charming hymn/carol expresses our hope of heaven which Jesus has promised to all who love Him. (I Corinthians 2:9 – “…Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those that love Him …”) This is a lovely poem, one that should be sung AS children WITH children everywhere.
Once again we find a poet who has been inspired by the beautiful words of the Nativity story. She is one who is so full of this beauty that she wants to find a way to share her wonder with little children . . . to teach them the story in song. We would all be wise to approach Christmas as little children. We are reminded of Jesus’ words, “You must become as little children . . . “. When we are able to put aside the cynicism with which a lot of us live on a day-to-day basis, and approach matters of faith as children do, we find much less to trouble us. We don’t have to become great theologians to understand the mysteries of scripture. We don’t have to become great philosophers to get to the “truth” we so desperately seek.
I will confess something to you. I don’t like simplistic answers to difficult questions, as a general rule. I find life much too complex and issues far too weighty to find much comfort in simplistic answers. I am not able to picture myself fitting into a church that has at its core these “simple” answers to the difficult problems in life, such as “Why do bad things happen to good people?” It is not enough for me to hear, “Because God wanted it that way.” It isn’t that I doubt the Will of God, but that I believe His will to be multi-layered. I believe that God’s will must be understood at a deeper level than simply “He wanted it that way”, so I keep looking for the deeper answers to the tough questions.
Christmas is a different matter for me, though. At no other season of the Church can I let myself go and see the wonder of the Nativity through a child’s eyes. I love the story, the music, the lights, the wonder, the mystery, the awe, the angels and shepherds, the Wise Men, the lessons of the Scriptures and the carols of the poets from ages gone by. I can become as a little child for a period of time, and revel in the simple joys of the Season. I hope you can too!!!!
Prayer - Dear Father of us all, thank you again for coming to earth in the person of your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We have read today the simple words of a simple song, intended to teach the great truths of the Nativity story to children. Grant us the hearts and the faith of little children and help us to understand the great mystery of Christmas. We see the sights and we hear the sounds, and sometimes, Lord, we confess, we are cynical and we are tired, and we fail to get the message into our hearts. We believe, help our unbelief, for we pray in Jesus’ blessed Name, Amen ~
Activity - Visit a museum or a special Christmas display. Callaway Gardens has their Fantasy in Lights going on - - - Lake Lanier Islands has a beautiful light show. There are family activities at Stone Mountain Park, and many more opportunities. These are wonderful ways to experience the beauty of the season.
No comments:
Post a Comment