Wow! It’s hard to believe that another year is almost past. As a young man I thought it strange how the older folk spoke of time “speeding up” as they grew older. Now I’m saying the same to my sons—does this mean I’m getting old? The passage of time could be depressing except for the joy of celebrating Christmas every December to take our minds off of the fleeting years.
Several years ago I was searching for a song to use in our church family’s celebration of Christ’s birth. I wanted something different, something that would challenge our people to focus on the whole of God’s gift to mankind on that first Christmas long ago. When my wife realized what I was doing, she immediately remembered an article she had seen containing the words of a song that was written in 1954 by William and Mildred Dillon entitled The Babe In The Manger. This was the message that I had been looking for. It has challenged the hearts of my family every year since that date. It is my prayer that during this Christmas season, you too will be challenged by its message.
• Do you worship the Babe in the manger, but reject the Christ of the Cross? Your redemption comes not by the manger, but the death of Christ on the Cross.
• If you worship the Babe in the manger, but ignore the Blood of God’s Son, to you Christ is only a stranger, ‘til you trust the work He has done.
• Will you look past the Babe in the manger, will you look to Calvary? Oh my friend can you see the danger of a lost eternity?
Chorus: The Babe in the manger was God’s only Son, who came to the world to die. The Babe in the manger could never have done the work of His God on high. The Babe left the manger and went to the Cross to pay the wages of sin. Your way of forgiveness is not by the Babe, but the Christ who died for your sins.
The Babe in the manger, the Christ of the cross, is now the risen Son of God, our Savior. He is God’s gift to you, have you received Him yet?
Have a blessed Christmas!