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What Child Is This?

Songs of the Season, Part 6

December 31, 2006

Becca Sanders

There’s a great story I’ve heard of a Christmas pageant that took place as part of a Christmas Eve service in a church probably not much different from Lake Grove.

The manger was down in front at the chancel steps where it always is. Mary was there in a blue mantle and Joseph in a cotton beard. The wise men were there with a handful of shepherds, and of course in the midst of them all the Christ child was there, lying in the straw. The nativity story was read aloud by the pastor with carols sung at the appropriate places, and all went like clockwork until it came time for the arrival of the angels of the heavenly host as represented by the children of the congregation, who were robed in white and scattered throughout the pews with their parents.

At the right moment they were supposed to come forward and gather around the manger saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men, and that is just what they did except there were so many of them that there was a fair amount of crowding and jockeying for position, with the result that one particular angel, a girl about nine years old, who was smaller than most of them, ended up so far out on the fringes of things that not even by craning her neck and standing on tiptoe could she see what was going on.

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men,” they all sang on cue, and then in the momentary pause that followed, the small girl electrified the entire church by crying out in a voice shrill with irritation and frustration and enormous sadness at having her view blocked, "Let Jesus show!"

There was a lot of the service still to go, but the pastor said that one of the best things he ever did in his life was to end everything precisely there.

"Let Jesus show!” the child cried out, and while the congregation was still sitting in stunned silence, he pronounced the benediction, and everybody filed out of the church with those unforgettable words ringing in their ears.

Let Jesus show. I think if the writers of the many Christmas carols we’ve been looking at this Advent season had to come up with a shared “purpose statement” for why they wrote these songs, that would be it. Let Jesus show. For the last 4 weeks, we’ve been taking a look at these well-known and well-loved “Songs of the Season” that most of us have grown up listening to and singing, yet maybe haven’t stopped to let Jesus show in our own lives.

And in this final week of Advent, as we begin packing up and putting away all things “Christmas”, as we’ve maybe had our fill of the songs of the season (which is no wonder since they have been playing in local coffee shops and malls since November 1), we’re going to look at one last “Song of the Season”, In this carol and in Scripture, we are going back to the manger one last time to seek answers to the age-old question, “What Child is This?”

Let’s go first to the Scripture that played a part in inspiring the composition of this carol, the story of the Magi, found in the book of Matthew, chapter 2, verses 1-12.

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
   are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
   who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

As I said, the carol we are looking at today, “What Child is This?” was based, in part, on this passage of Scripture from Matthew. In the year 1865, William Chatterton Dix wrote the poem, “The Manger Throne,” which was later adapted and set to the ancient tune “Greensleeves” to become the carol we all sing today.

William was born in England in the year 1837, and from the start, was destined for literary greatness. His father, who was an avid poetry fan, had a special affinity for the minor English poet, Thomas Chatterton, from whom William gained his middle name. William’s father not only insisted that his son be given this name, but highly encouraged William to follow in his namesake’s footsteps.

Upon adulthood, William moved to Glasgow, Scotland to work as a manager of marine insurance company. He was a hard-worker, but it got to the point where some accused William of pursuing his career really as just a sideline venture- a way to make money in order to support his true passion of writing poetry.

For several years, William successfully juggled life’s daily demands of home and work (as he eventually married and had children), but his busy life came to a screeching halt when, at 29 years old, Williams came down with a near-fatal illness that robbed him of his strength and confined him to his bed for several months. In this time of sickness and uncertainty, William fell into a deep depression. Just when he was about as low as low gets, when he hit rock bottom and had no where else to turn, William called out to God for help and God met him there in his place of need. It’s said that in this time, William met Christ in a new way, and he re-affirmed his belief not only in Christ as Savior but in the power of God to move in his own life, which ultimately changed him forever.

The clearest sign of the transformation that took place in William’s life is evidenced in his poetry. Before his illness, his work lacked a clear focus, it was all over the place. But upon his recovery, William’s writing took on a whole new dimension. Having clearly been touched by the Spirit of God in a transformative way, William “produced some of the greatest hymns ever written by an English layman”.

One of the first poems William wrote was this poem, “The Manger Throne”. It’s not really known what exactly led William to the manger. It wasn’t Christmastime when he wrote it, and even if it was, in England at that time, Christmas looked very different. It was neither the commercial celebration it is today, nor was it a season where many openly celebrated the birth of Christ. Many churches forbade the giving of gifts, or even acknowledging the day fearing that, if they allowed these celebrations, the birth of Christ would end up being overrun by pagan rituals. Some churches held a service of worship on this day in order to commemorate the birth of Christ, but many of the hymn writers of that time ignored Christmas altogether.

So it wasn’t just an extra dose of the “Christmas spirit” that drove William to write this poem (reportedly in only one sitting). He wasn’t writing a song meant to be sung while sitting around the Christmas tree. Rather, there must have been something about this story, something about the Christ Child born in a stable and laid in a manger that spoke deeply into his heart in that time of sickness and despair. Something in that story awakened his heart and led him to meet God anew- not only at Christmastime, but all year long.

I think as we take a look at the words of this carol we will see how, in the manger, God met William Dix in his place of need, and God will meet us there as well.

Verse 1: GOD in a manger

In this carol, from the very first line, William Dix takes the place of a somewhat confused observer, following the characters of the Christmas story like a reporter. As he watches the shepherds and wise men fall down in worship, he is compelled to ask, “What child IS this?” Never before and never since has one baby’s birth heralded such heavenly fanfare.

As we stand back and take it all in, the star, the angelic pronouncement and glories from the heavenly host, the excited shepherds, and the reverent Magi, we must conclude that this is no ordinary baby! This is GOD himself, Creator of Heaven and earth!

I think it can happen that sometimes when we look into the manger- whether on Christmas cards or in crèche scenes, we can tend to forget that when we look at the baby Jesus, we are looking into the face of Almighty God.

There’s this ridiculously silly movie I’ve seen called Talledega Nights, starring the comedian Will Ferrell (whom I happen to love). In this movie, Will Ferrell plays champion NASCAR driver, Ricky Bobby, and the plotline follows his rise, fall, and return to NASCAR stardom. Now, I can’t say that I would give a blanket recommendation for this movie, but there is one scene that came to mind as I was thinking through this carol.

Ricky Bobby is sitting down to dinner with his family and best-friend and co-driver Cal. And before they dig in, he leads the family in prayer. And his prayer goes something like this….

“Dear Lord baby Jesus, we thank you so much for this bountiful harvest of Dominos, KFC and the always delicious Taco Bell. Dear Tiny Infant Jesus…”

At this point, his wife across the table interrupts him to tell him, “You know, Jesus did grow up. You don’t always have to call him baby. It’s a bit odd and off-putting to pray to a baby.”

To this Ricky retorts, “Well look, I like the Christmas Jesus best, and I’m saying grace. When you say grace you can say it to grown-up Jesus, or teenage Jesus, or bearded Jesus, or whatever you want.”

And just to make his point abundantly clear, Ricky closes his prayer, “Dear 8-pound, 6-ounce baby Jesus, newborn, not even spoken a word yet…Amen.”

Which Jesus do you like best? At Christmastime, we focus on the baby in the manger. But I wonder how many of us keep him there? It’s easy to do. The Christmas Jesus, the baby Jesus makes us feel good. He’s cute, he’s comfortable- he’s downright pacified. He is completely non-threatening. We can come back to the manger year after year and pay our respects to the baby therein, and walk away completely unchanged.

But what Ricky Bobby chose to ignore, what we sometimes fail to remember, is that THIS child, currently resting in Mary’s lap, is no ordinary baby. THIS child will grow up to become the man who will walk on water and feed 5,000 men from a couple loaves and fish. He will heal people of their diseases and cast out demons. He will even raise people from the dead. He is the One who was in the beginning with God, who Himself was God, the One through whom all things were made. THIS child is Christ the King. Emmanuel- GOD with us.

Verse 2: God in a MANGER

This is why we’re told that, as soon as they encountered the Christ-child, the Magi fell down on their faces before him and worshipped him. They knew that they were looking into the face of God.

But I wonder, did any one of them, while all heads were reverently bowed, peek up and take a look around, and notice the somewhat less than regal- downright squalid surroundings that served as this king’s royal nursery?

This was certainly not what anyone expected for the birth of the Messiah. The scripture we read this morning tells us that the first place the Magi went in their pursuit of “the One who was born King of the Jews” was the royal palace in Jerusalem. Naturally, if Jesus was indeed the King, that would be where one would find him. It was only through their hearing the Old Testament prophecies that their journey continued to its final destination in Bethlehem. I can only imagine what a shock it must have been to discover that this king, whose birth had been foretold for hundreds of years, had been born in a barn.

“Why lies he in such mean estate, where ox and ass are feeding?” A good question- if this baby really is God’s own son, the Word made flesh, the KING of the Jews, what in the world is he doing here? Why is his first home not the royal palace, but a drafty stable? Why was his bedding not made from the finest silk, but from animal feed? It’s true that Jesus was no ordinary baby. And it is equally true that He was no ordinary king.

THIS is the great paradox, the SCANDAL of Christmas. As you can read in the quote on the front of your bulletin, this idea of GOD in a MANGER has never been easy to comprehend….

“The question posed in this well-loved carol must have been uppermost in the minds of those present at Jesus’ birth.  We can almost hear the question being asked from one to another as they gazed into the humble manger.  How difficult it must have been for them to understand that the Babe who lay in “such mean estate” was truly the long-awaited Messiah.  And through the centuries men and women have continued to ponder who Christ really is – how can He be fully God and still fully human?”

As we look into the manger, into an animal’s feeding trough, and we see the face of God, we ought to be appalled!

Frederick Buechner puts it this way…

“If you do not hear in the message of Christmas something that must strike some as blasphemy and others as sheer fantasy, the chances are you have not heard the message for what it is. Emmanuel is the message in a nutshell, which is Hebrew for ‘God with us.’ Who is this God? How is he with us? That’s where the problem lies.”

The problem of which Buechner speaks is the great paradox of Christmas. The one born in such lowly surroundings – in a stable, of poor parents, laid in an animal’s manger- was nevertheless the God of glory, whose splendor before the incarnation surpassed that even of those heavenly beings who announced His birth to the shepherds. Here is a baby. But He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is God in a stable. He is the supreme potentate of the universe among His own lowly cattle.

I think I can understand what compelled William Dix to the write this particular poem. Looking back on this life-changing, faith-transforming experience where he had to deal with the real hard issues of life, death, depression and despair, he is drawn to the manger because it is there that he finds Christ the King. Christ, the all-powerful God, and Christ, the humble slave.

For William Dix (and for all of us with him), it was important to know Christ in all his deity - fully God and fully capable of carrying us through all that life has to offer. But it is equally important that we know that Christ was fully human, that the Ruler of all creation subjected himself to the rules of creation. This tiny, vulnerable baby will grow up to experience hunger and thirst, loneliness and rejection. He will get angry over injustice and he will weep over the death of a friend.

Because he was human, Jesus experienced everything you and I do- all the joys and sorrows, triumphs and defeats of life- he experiences them with us. But even more important than what Jesus experiences WITH us is what Jesus experienced FOR us.

As we look into the manger “we see that Jesus endured a human birth to give us a new spiritual birth. He had an earthly mother so that we might have a heavenly Father. He became subject that we might be free. He left His glory to give us glory. He was poor that we might be rich.” He was rejected so that we might be accepted. He was condemned in order that we might be absolved. He died so that we might receive eternal life.

“That is the great paradox of the Christmas story. It is that which makes it irresistibly attractive. It is the reversal of roles at God’s cost for our benefit.”

This mysterious coalescence of fully God and fully human in this one child that is both puzzled over and proclaimed in the first two verses of this carol is the basic substance of the Christian faith. I think the Apostle Paul says it best, in his letter to the Philippians. He writes (reading from the contemporary language version of the Bible, The Message)

Jesus Christ had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

It’s said that these verses were likely one of the earliest Christian creeds; a faith-statement of the early church. This is the basic theology of the Christian faith. And I’ve heard it said and I really believe it’s true, all good theology must lead to doxology. Everything we learn about God ought to, at the end of the day, compel us to fall on our knees in praise and adoration.

And, wouldn’t you know it, that is both what Paul and this carol do. Finishing up in Philippians…

“Because of Christ’s obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.”

So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh, come one and all to own him.

The King of kings (who set aside the privileges of deity)

Salvation brings (who died so that we might live)

Let loving hearts enthrone Him.

For this, THIS is Christ the King

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing

Haste! Haste to bring him laud

The babe, the son of Mary.