In a few days there will some lullabies floating in the air
of our home. Our grandson, along with
his mommy (our son is deployed overseas this Christmas season), is making his
first visit to our home. We are beyond
excited and filled with anticipation for his arrive. While we are excited about Gideon coming, I feel
that Mary and Joseph were filled with anticipation at the arrival of their son,
Jesus. He would not be an ordinary
child. He was God incarnate. However, I am sure that once Jesus arrived,
Mary sang him to sleep with sweet lullabies.
Over the years many Christmas carols have graced the stages
of concert halls and church auditoriums.
There are a few carols that actually bring tears to my eyes and bring
memories flooding to my mind. If you
would allow me, I would like to share a couple of my favorite carols with you
this week.
Sweet Little Jesus
Boy, composed by Robert MacGimsey in 1934, is not a very common carol sung
in churches today. I first discovered
this sweet song when my husband was in seminary and I was taking a vocal music
class. The professor made assignments for our final and I was given this
spiritual to perform acappella.
Since I had no history of this piece I did a bit of research
and discovered that although the song was written by a Caucasian man in the
early 1900s, it depicted the sound and plight of the African American slave. This song is filled with emotion. This
spiritual rings with hope, not just for the slave, but for a lost world.
At Christmas I often find myself humming or softly singing
the words around the house as I prepare for the Christmas season. Just the other day I was setting out our
nativity and began thinking of that first holy night so long ago.
I wonder if Mary had prepared the manger bed with fresh hay
for her soon coming child. I wonder if
her child birth pains were great or if she was at complete peace in knowing she
was giving birth to the Savior of the world.
What did Mary do when she first heard her newborn son cry? Did she sigh and smile? Was she awestruck when she looked in the eyes
of her newborn son? Or did she cuddle
her baby close, kiss his forehead, and hum sweetly in his ear?
What about Joseph? Was a scared earthly father? Was he
uncertain of what life would be like? It
would certainly change for them in the coming minutes. Their son would be no ordinary baby. He was the Living God come to save the
world. At the moment Jesus arrived, did Joseph
fall to his knees weeping in holy worship?
In anticipation for this Christmas season, I challenge you
to find the words or listen to a recording of “Sweet Little Jesus Boy”. Find a quiet spot, close your eyes, and
really listen to the words. Try to
imagine what Mary and Joseph might have experienced. Then, rediscover what Jesus really means to
you.
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