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Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Christ in the Carols - Away in a Manger

Ok, well I didn't post nearly as much as I would've liked to. I got busy writing the C-Group study for next semester. However, Christmas Eve the third verse of Away in a Manger stuck out to me. Frankly, Away in a Manger is probably my least favorite Christmas Carol, but that third verse is incredibly meaningful...

Here it is:

Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay,
Close by me forerever, and love me, I pray;
Bless all thy dear children in thy tender care,
And fit us for heaven to live with the there.

Have you ever meditated on this life as a fitting for heaven. Scripture tells us repeatedly to take off, or put off, the old self and our sinful natures (Eph 4:22; Col 3:9). In return, we are to put on our new self with it's godly passions (Eph 4:24; Col 3:10). In other places, we are told to put on Christ himself (Rom 13:14; Gal 3:27). The imagery is of shedding old dirty clothes and putting on clean fresh ones. What I find incredible though is that the clothes aren't altered to fit us, we are transformed to fit into the clothes. We are becoming like Christ who we have put on (Rom 8:29). And, as the song reminds us, this is one of the greatest blessings God could bestown upon his children.

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