Rachael Ayres is a lifelong learner, wild dreamer, sourdough baker and traveller who loves solitude, words, ideas, fibre arts, walking long distances and spending time with family and friends. She is a member of Auckland’s Titirangi Baptist Church.
When our eldest child was four years old, she had two younger brothers, and a sister who was about to be born just after Christmas. She was only little herself, but she already knew about babies. (This information will be important).
We were at the stage of trying to bring Bible stories to life for our children by acting them out. ‘Camel’ rides on daddy’s back was a firm favourite, whether it was Abram going on a journey or wise men coming from the East.
That Christmas we had chosen a handful of carols to sing on repeat so the children would become familiar with them, and we intended to add a new one each year to expand our repertoire.
Imagine our surprise when one evening our daughter declared, fairly confidently but with perhaps a hint of questioning, “So Jesus wasn’t real then?”
“What makes you say that?” I enquired, genuinely curious.
“Well, he didn’t cry and babies cry.”
She sang,
Away in a manger
No crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus
Lay down His sweet head…
…The cattle are lowing
The baby awakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes...
Aha.
“You know what?” I said to her. “Jesus was a real baby and so He would have cried. Let’s change the words of the song.”
The cattle are lowing
The baby awakes
And little Lord Jesus
Some crying He makes…
We have sung it this way ever since.
In that moment I realised our children are little theologians, exploring fundamental questions about God’s nature, existence and role in the world, and one of their textbooks is song lyrics. Words matter.
And not just at Christmastime but all through the year.
And not just for children, but for all of us.
Let’s think about the words we sing so we can worship in spirit and in truth.
Over the years as the children grew older, we encouraged them to weigh the words up against Scripture.
Once they overheard someone criticising the line ‘Open the eyes of my heart Lord’ and they were intrigued enough to see if they could find it in the Bible. It turns out Paul had prayed that for the believers in Ephesus (Eph 1:18). Surely that’s a keeper.
At Christmastime they discovered that while there were three gifts there were not necessarily three wise men. There were at least two, possibly more.
They wondered just how silent a night it would have been in Bethlehem during the time of a census when the town was heaving with outsiders.
They questioned whether the ‘donkey’ rides on Daddy’s back with them pretending to be Mary had told them the true story. We searched Scripture for ourselves (this was pre-Google and ChatGPT days) and discovered that yes, Mary had travelled to Bethlehem, but the Bible is silent on how she got there.
One Christmas one of the kids asked what happened if you weren’t good or happy at Christmastime.
“What makes you ask that?” I enquired, genuinely curious, still asking the same question years after I’d asked about Jesus not being real.
The culprit was another carol.
O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant…
We didn’t change the words of this one, but Sovereign Grace Music came out with O come, all you unfaithful in 2020. Words of truth!
In this song, bitter, broken and fearful folk, those feeling guilty and those hiding are all invited to come to the Lamb who was given as an offering, slain for our pardon, promising peace…even when we have nothing.
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head.
Thank You Jesus for coming as a vulnerable baby, giving up everything.
Thank You for weeping with Mary and Martha, at Lazarus' tomb.
Thank You for weeping over Jerusalem, lamenting the people's rejection of God's peace.
Thank You for crying tears of anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane as You faced suffering and the impending separation from Your Father.
Thank You Jesus.
Image credit: canva.com @any_tka2
