What Child Is This?

Matthew 2:10-11

      When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

What Child Is This LBW 40

1    What child is this, who, laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping?
      whom angels greet with anthems sweet while shepherds watch are keeping?
      This, this is Christ the king, whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
      haste, haste to bring him laud, the babe, the son of Mary!

2    Why lies he in such mean estate where ox and ass are feeding?
      Good Christian, fear; for sinners here the silent Word is pleading.
      Nails, spear shall pierce him through, the cross be borne for me, for you;
      hail, hail the Word made flesh, the babe, the son of Mary!

3    So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh; come, peasant, king, to own him.
      The King of kings salvation brings; let loving hearts enthrone him.
      Raise, raise the song on high, the virgin sings her lullaby;
      joy, joy, for Christ is born, the babe, the son of Mary!

 Text: William C. Dix, 1837-1898

      This is one of the oldest tunes in our hymnals, Greensleeves, an English folk song that dates from the 1200’s.  The words were written by William Dix, an Anglican layman from Scotland, who was a successful insurance salesman in his time.  Like others of his day, in his midlife he suffered a debilitating illness and was confined to bed for several years.  As a result, he slipped into a deep depression.  But during this time, he had what we would call today a “come to Jesus:” moment, and in that moment, began a career of writing hymn lyrics, many of which are still in use today (e.g. “Alleluia, Sing to Jesus” LBW 158 and “As with Gladness, Men of Old” LBW 82.) This particular lyric was derived from his Christmas poem titled “The Manger Throne”.

      It would seem that in those low points of life we have a choice.  We can either sink deeper and deeper into ourselves or we can come out into the world to meet Jesus; who was born, lived and died among us!  Surely one who was born in a manger and died on a cross cannot be too far away!

Prayer:  Incarnate Lord, you come to us in unexpected ways and at unexpected times.  When we feel alone, down, abandoned, you descend from your throne of grace to enter our lives and bless them with courage and hope.  We thank you for your presence, and we pray that your presence may continue to inspire us to hopeful living and incarnate worship of you. Amen.