Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head;
The stars in the 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 fit us for heaven to live with Thee there.
Such a sweet little song, a Christmas hymn for little voices. Like Jesus Loves Me, This I Know, it is a song that teaches children how much Jesus loves them, and to love him in return. Did I get teary-eyed just now thinking of my own little child singing this song? Maybe. (Yes.)
Jesus did love children, and in fact told us grown-ups to be more like them: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me." (Mt 18:3-5)
With that in mind, here is the telling of the Christmas story from The Jesus Storybook Bible - which, if you are wondering, is hands down the best children's Bible out there.
Sure enough, it was just as the angel had said. Nine months later, Mary was almost ready to have her baby.
Now Mary and Joseph had to take a trip to Bethlehem, the town King David was from. But when they reached the little town, they found every room was full. Every bed was taken. "Go away!" the innkeepers told them. "There isn't any place for you."
Where would they stay? Soon Mary's baby would come. They couldn't find anywhere except an old, tumbledown stable. So they stayed where the cows and the donkeys and the horses stayed.
And there, in the stable, amongst the chickens and the donkeys and the cows, in the quiet of the night, God gave the world his wonderful gift. The baby that would change the world was born. His baby Son.
Mary and Joseph wrapped him up to keep him warm. They made a soft bed of straw and used the animals' feeding trough as his cradle. And they gazed in wonder at God's Great Gift, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.
Mary and Joseph named him Jesus, "Emmanuel" - which means "God has come to live with us." Because, of course, he had.
That same night, in amongst the other stars, suddenly a bright new star appeared. Of all the stars in the dark vaulted heavens, this one shone clearer. It blazed in the night and made the other stars look pale beside it.
God put it there when his baby Son was born - to be like a spotlight. Shining on him. Lighting up the darkness. Showing people the way to him.
You see, God was like a new daddy - he couldn't keep the good news to himself. He'd been waiting all these long years for this moment, and now he wanted to tell everyone.
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