My pastor and I have a ongoing “argument” about some Christmas carols. He contends that some of them are scripturally incorrect. I maintain that songs are poetry and poetry uses figurative language and is not to be taken literally. He asserts that some are still factually misleading. And, of course, he’s right. But I do like Christmas carols. They help me to be festive once a year and how is that bad, really?
We all have our favorites and mine is “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” with the comma in the proper place—meaning, that God will give us rest when we are weary and make us merry when we are not. (If the comma is after the word “ye,” it sends an entirely different message.) My least favorite carol is “Away in a Manger.” I apologize if this is your favorite. It’s just my opinion and you are certainly entitled to yours.
However. I do take issue with some of the lyrics. For example, the first verse reads “Away in a manger no crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus Laid down His sweet head,” and right away I cringe. And here’s why. There is nothing “little” about our Lord Jesus! Now, I realize that he was once a baby, but I fear that this carol gives the impression that Jesus is sweet and innocent and tiny and helpless. I think that many people leave the baby Jesus image in their minds and only pay homage to him at Christmas time. When in fact, Jesus “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”1 That’s who Jesus is! To leave him in a manger is to distort his image and his power and his purpose.
Plus, when the cattle began mooing, and Jesus woke up, the song reads “But little Lord Jesus No crying he makes.” But don’t you think he might have cried at that point? I do. Babies cry! It’s not a sin to cry! And another thing. The third verse reads “Be near me, Lord Jesus I ask You to stay Close by me forever And love me I pray.” It sounds to me like the song writer (and no one really knows who it was) was pleading for Jesus to love him. And we don’t have to do that.
My prayer (and Paul’s prayer) is that this season you may know the immeasurable love of God, and Jesus will have to leave the manger in order to comprehend this! Paul prays that “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”2 That’s how much God loves us!
“Away in a Manger” is a sweet melody. It is often sung by children and that’s fine with me. Let’s just make sure that as adults, we do not leave Jesus in the manger but allow him to grow up in our lives so we can experience “the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.”3
And if you are looking for a really good Christmas Carol, read the lyrics to “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.” And punctuate the title properly!
“O tidings (news) of comfort and joy” be yours today.
1Colossians 1:15-16 2Ephesians 3:17-19 3Ephesians 2:19
