Away in a Manger is another one of our most popular and most sung Christmas Carols. Many have claimed, down through the years, that it was written by Martin Luther, the German religious reformer, but research may tell us differently and it may have originated in America.
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! look down from the sky,
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And take us to heaven to live with thee there.
James R. Murray titled the tune as Luther’s Cradle Hymn in 1887. Murray declared that Martin Luther had written the song AND he even sang it to his children every night before they went to sleep. Naturally, the story caught on and Luther’s popularity helped the song become even more beloved.
This all came as quite a surprise to German families of that time period who did not sing Away in a Manger to their children at bedtime. They had never even heard of the song until it arrived in Europe….from the United States.
In reality the song was most likely written in the mid 1800’s in america but we have no one to legally attribute it to. The tune was actually composed by J. E Clark and Charles Hutchinson Gabriel, the music director for Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, and he then presented a new version that added the third verse..
Who truly wrote the song may always remain a mystery but millions have been forever blessed by the words that take us back to the birth of the Savior. God became flesh and dwelt among us, a humble beginning for the King of Kings. He came and He gave that we might know Him and with that relationship, He will “take us to Heaven” to reign with Him throughout all eternity.
Every once in a while, social media gives you a win. Such was the case a few days ago when I was mindlessly scrolling and feeling sorry for myself.
I was just a week out from having back surgery: Basically a REDO of a failed spinal fusion in 2018 of my L4-L5 and L5-S1. Fusion had not taken place and I literally had loose screws causing pain.
Since then, my vertebrae at L3 decided to jump down and lay on top of L4 causing the utmost pain and suffering the last six months and requiring, in layman terms, a lumbar spinal fusion from L3-S1 with cages, rods, and screws, oh my! The surgery went well and everything looks great except for the horrific nerve pain I am having in my left leg. It has caused endless, sleepless nights and nothing has touched the pain, nor do they know specifically what has caused it.
So, here I had landed, wondering what was passing me by in the world when I came upon this post by a sweet friend about her six year old daughter, Haylee:
“On Sunday, Haylee wanted to be in the main sanctuary with me and said, ‘I wanna praise Jesus with you, Mom!’ Obviously I said, ‘Okay!’
And boy did she!!
I let my hands down because they were losing circulation and she grabbed my hand, shoved it back in the air and said,
‘Mom, you need to show Jesus you want to be picked up by Him!’”
And in an instant, one sentence, one thought can change your whole perspective. And maybe even change your life.
Haylee’s mommy told me that her precious little one was recently baptized; her love for Jesus has grown with every passing day. Haylee has asked her why she raises her hands in the car, at home, at church or even outside just listening to worship music and Jessica replied that it is her way of sending Jesus hugs and receiving His hugs in return!
“Haylee, when you want Mommy to pick you up, what do you do?”
Her little eyes dancing in wonder and awe, she slowly replies, “Ahhhh, so Jesus picks us up when we lift our hands?!”
“Exactly!”
“And now she can’t get enough of lifting her hands and worshiping our Savior. God continues to answer my tear-filled prayers and it brings tears of joy to my eyes to know how much He loves us!”
Wow. This is sermon material that I will not do justice to but I will keep it simple and it will encourage and bless all the same because one little girl, one innocent heart, just believes what she is told, loves what she believes and acts on it. Haylee goes on to say that when she has been scared she just says His name, “Jesus”, and the fear goes away, and in her words, “Mom, it works!”
Yes, Haylee, it works! I have prayed and prayed for relief from pain these last couple of weeks, actually months, make that years, but it rarely comes the way I want it to. Not that God hasn’t healed me before, you can read of at least one of my miracles here. Besides the burn, He completely healed me of migraines ten years ago, I have not had one since. When He does heal me, HE will receive the glory, the miracle will magnify HIM and others will be blessed, encouraged and maybe find their way to the throne!
Even though I still have pain, every time I would lift my hands, He would pick me up, reassure me He was with me, comfort me with the knowledge He had been in my shoes, with even worse pain and He would give me the strength I needed to overcome.
His Word is His promise, His promises are true, His truth prevails time and time again!
And maybe sometimes, just maybe, our joy in our pain, our confidence in our God, our trust that He is with us no matter what, the JOY we find in living for Him, regardless of pain and suffering, is a blessing and strength to someone else. You are always being watched, child of God, others are interested in the One you say takes all your fears away. They know you still have pain, but they also see you still praise God, you become stronger regardless of suffering and every day becomes a testimony of His goodness in so many ways.
We may not always receive the instant miracle we are seeking but when we lift our hands and ask Jesus to pick us up, with child-like faith, child sized trust, He will respond with God-sized strength!
When I first came to know Jesus, I heard our lifted hands were like a funnel, “Fill me up, God, fill me up!” I also heard it was a sign of surrender, giving everything to Him in recognition that He is all powerful and we are nothing without Him.
All of these are true; whatever you need for your current situation, He is that! If your predicament is physical pain, then hands in the air and call on Him, “Pick me up, Father! Here I am, Lord, hold me, strengthen me, help me.”
Many are fearful of the virus, many others are stressed about being away from those they love, then there is the intimidation and peer pressure both ways about what we should do or what we shouldn’t do this holiday season. Sometimes it is all just too much! So….hands up! Surrender those fears to Him, let Jesus carry that burden that is too big for you then let Him fill that funnel and give you the peace that passes understanding.
It doesn’t matter what your situation, God has the answer; sometimes it is just Him, sometimes that is all we need. He will show us His wisdom, His strength and impart comfort that only He can give. He will reassure us He is with us in our pain, He has overcome and that same power that raised Jesus from the dead, lives in us!
Raise those hands today, surrender and let God pick you up, strengthen, establish you and bless you beyond measure.
The more I have studied our beloved Christmas carols, the more in awe I have become of the writers who penned them. Repeat the Sounding Joy!
Isaac Watts was somewhat of a boy genius.
At the age of five he learned to speak Latin, at nine he was fluent in Greek, at eleven, French and at thirteen he conquered Hebrew! Attending church services week after week, he was not impressed with the music and the lyrics of the worship songs that were being sung and one Sunday morning after service he expressed his views to his father. He was fifteen at the time. His father did not ignore his impetuous teenager but challenged him to come up with something better.
At the evening service, Isaac presented the congregation with his first hymn:
“Behold the glories of the Lamb, Amidst His Father’s throne; Prepare new honors for His name, And songs before unknown.”
It was just a few short years later, in 1719, that Watts published his Psalms of David Imitated and included in it was our beloved Joy to the World. This is an imitation of the last half of Psalm 98. Originally a song of deliverance for the Israelites, Watts turned it into a Christian song of rejoicing! He declares how the salvation of God started with the Baby Jesus who then came to “…rule the world with truth and grace.”
The Redemption Story is evident all throughout Psalm 98 and in Joy to the World!
From the garden to His imminent return, we see Watts weaving history, the present, and the future into his timeline of events to create a masterpiece.
“No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.”
You won’t find shepherds, wise men, a manger, or angels, things we normally associate with Christmas in Joy to the World. What you will find is the message that Jesus saves and that He is coming back again!
Though He entered this world as a baby, Jesus Christ was our Victor, as we see in the first verse of the Psalm: “…his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.” He has “made known his salvation…” (verse two).
He is our King in verse six and our Judge in verse nine. “He makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love.”
For those who believe, this carol is full of JOY! So should the Christian be all the year round!
And Christmas is all about preparing our hearts for HIM, making room for HIM, making Him glorious!
“Shout joyfully to theLord, all the earth;
Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.” Psalm 98:4 NKJV.
Remember, as the days grow short and the hurry and flurry of activities seem to take away the blessedness of the season: Joy came to the world so long ago and if anyone has reason to be full of joy it is the people of the Most High God! Rejoice in that Hope today that He came for YOU and He is coming again!
Repeat the Sounding Joy!
Enjoy this rendition of the Christmas favorite with The Gaithers!
