Monday, December 06, 2010

25 Days of Advent: Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

Infant holy, infant lowly, for his bed a cattle stall;
Oxen lowing, little knowing Christ the Babe is Lord of all.
Angels winging, praises singing, Noels ringing, tidings bringing:
Christ the Babe is Lord of all.

Flocks were sleeping, shepherds keeping vigil till the morning new
Saw the glory, heard the story, tidings of a gospel true.
Thus rejoicing, free from sorrow, praises voicing greet the morrow:
Christ the Babe was born for you!

This is a simple little Polish carol, and it is really sweet to sing. I love that the second verse is basically a summation of the transformative power of the gospel of Jesus. We hear the story, and in our hearts God ignites the realization that it is not just good news but truth. In our acceptance of his love, with nothing but the empty hands of faith, he enters our lives. Then we can rejoice! We are free, not from the sorrows of this world, but from the greater sorrow of the bondage of sin and fear of death. Now we are the ones singing praises to greet the morning. We are the ones who can't help but tell the world: Christ was born for you!

1 comment:

Heather said...

I've always loved this one. So sweet, so clean, so honest! And of course, the harmony is interesting. :)