One Song

I was thinking this morning about lyrics that I might post as a Facebook status, and my mind drifted to "What Child Is This?" Originally, I was going to post the chorus from the third verse, but decided to check myself for accuracy, and looked up the lyrics online. I was amazed to see how one song contains so many varied themes of Christmas. The narrative with its characters and tangibility - the baby on his mother's lap, angels singing, shepherds at their post. The humiliation of the King, chosen by the King himself - lying in "mean estate," when, as Milton reminds us, His true state is Kingly. Philippians 2:6-7 describes the attitude of such a king, who, "being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." The song focuses on the manger, but provides scope. The chorus of verse 2, which I hadn't really paid attention to before, says: "Nails, spear shall pierce Him through/ The cross be borne for me, for you." This is more than a sentimental glimpse at a family group; the "babe, the son of Mary," is "the Word made flesh." The last two lines of each chorus address the listener, but then in verse three, the entire verse is a call to worship, inviting us to imagine our connection to peasants and kings, who alike are humble before this baby, the King of kings. The lyrics I was thinking of posting to Facebook were those of the chorus of verse 3: "Raise, raise your song on high/ the Virgin sings her lullaby/ Joy, joy to all He brings/ The babe, the Son of Mary." I suppose these verses stood out to me because I am a singer and songwriter. Somehow I naturally want to exult in the joy I find in God, notwithstanding and not ignoring the pain, the suffering, the sin in the world. As Sara Groves puts it in "Tell Me What You Know," "so much can go wrong/ and still there are songs." There are songs because Jesus was born - because of Emmanuel, God with us. So in this one song we have the humility of the King, the salvific perspective of the manger, and a call to response. It's the gospel, and a skillful song indeed. (I can't find a video that features all of the original lyrics, but this one has some nice artwork. I read the lyrics here.)