However, most of the Christmas music I listen to these days is on CD. Most of what I listen to are traditional carols, perhaps because I am rather old-fashioned in my tastes! One recurring theme I have noticed in many carols is the wonder of the Incarnation. The mystery of how God became man is, of course, something that no human being (or even an angel!) can fully fathom. Nevertheless, at least a number of traditional Christmas carols attempt to express something of its wonder, which the Apostle Paul spoke of, saying that the Lord Jesus was He “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” (Philippians 2:6-7, NIV). For me, one of those carols that is most effective in capturing something of the Incarnation’s mystery is “In the Bleak Mid-Winter.” For the benefit those not familiar with this carol, I provide the text below:
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.
Our God, heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.
Enough for Him, Whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, Whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.
Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.
What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.
These lyrics originally appeared as a poem in the works of the 19th century English poet Christina Rossetti, perhaps one of the greatest female poets of that century in English. Even since I became familiar with this carol a number of years ago, I have had a deep affection for it, both as a believer and as someone who has a deep love for poetry (and who is also an amateur poet himself!). What I especially appreciate is how it so effectively contrasts the Lord’s greatness before His Incarnation with the humble circumstances surrounding His birth. He was (and is) the God from whom “Heaven and earth shall flee away,” and yet lay in a stable. The One who was the "Lord God Almighty" and possessed everything, became a mere infant satisfied with a “breastful of milk and a manager full of hay.” For me, this captures at least something of the wonder of the Incarnation. Moreover, the closing stanza is a moving reminder that what is most important in this season of gift-giving is what gift we should bring to Him Who gave us Himself. This is something that we certainly could all spend more time reflecting upon as the day in which celebrate the Lord's coming.
Another theme at least implied by this carol is Christ’s humility. Another Christmas carol that I’ve come to be fond of is “See Amid the Winter’s Snow.” It expresses the idea of the Lord’s humility in a rather moving way at its end:
Teach, O teach us, Holy Child,
By Thy Face so meek and mild,
Teach us to resemble Thee,
In Thy sweet humility!
This may not be a totally original idea, but is rather well-expressed, I think. Certainly there is a profound lesson we can learn from the Lord's example. Humility is something many of us (including myself) could be better at exhibiting.
May you have a truly blessed Christmas!