Luke 2:11 – For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (NKJV)

In July of 2010, my mother-in-law died, and we inherited her old, well-used hymnbook. In the Christmas carol section of this hymnal, she had glued in a poem written by our daughter around 1977, when she was about eighteen years old. We were living in Europe at that time, so she must have sent this poem to her grandmother here in Canada at Christmastime. I was moved by the words that she had written at such a young age. She had entitled it, "The night our Lord was born".

There were no trumpets and no feasts
There were no richly laden beasts
The night our Lord was born

There were no warm rooms and no heat
There were no blankets clean and neat
The night our Lord was born

There was a stable and some straw
There was a manger, crude and raw
The night our Lord was born

There were some shepherds and some sheep
Who heard the angels; could not sleep
The night our Lord was born

Make sure you're present, sure you're there
And tell Him clearly that you care
The night our Lord was born

       – Debora T. Jongkind-Dehart

One way that we can clearly tell our Lord that we care is to think carefully about the wonderful words of the traditional Christmas carols that we know and love. It is so easy just to sing them without thinking about their meaning. Although there appears to be a concentrated effort to remove Christ from Christmas, and many other Christmassy-type songs have infiltrated the airwaves, the old Christmas carols are still loved by many and it is a joy to hear and sing them at this time of the year. As we do so, it is good to really study these words and to realize that the Holy Spirit inspired the authors to write them. They have spoken to the hearts of millions of people, and they continue to speak to our hearts even now. Let us think about that when we again remember the night our Lord was born.

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, it is our sincere prayer that more people will hear and believe the words of the carols that they will sing and listen to. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

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About the author:

Joel Jongkind <austria67@bmts.com>
Meaford, Ontario, Canada
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