Away in a Manger

The focus of Christmas is most often the infant Christ who carried the promise to change the world as a man. That change absolutely occurred; however, the most important change He came to offer was individual–one person at a time. In the third verse of “Away in a Manger” this message is clear:

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

The plea to Him is a request to help us change. Help us become who God sent to earth to become–more like Him.

Another hymn, with a similar message is “Savior, Redeemer of My Soul”:

O’errule mine acts to serve thine ends.
Change frowning foes to smiling friends.
Chasten my soul till I shall be
In perfect harmony with thee. 
Make me more worthy of thy love, 
And fit me for the life above.

How will we be  “fit…for heaven to live with [Him] there”? How do we become “fit for the life above”?

The simple symbolism of the manger represents what we want to become to be fit for heaven–like a child.

“…Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3-4).

Before Jesus recounted the parable of the Good Samaritan, the lawyer asked him ‘What shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ The answer was what we commonly call the two great commandments: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.”

So, we are “fit for heaven” if we have learned to love God, to love our neighbor, and to love ourselves.

We need the Christ of Gethsemane and Golgotha to help us become more like the Christ child of the manger and to fit us for heaven.

Author’s note: On Christmas Eve 2021, I read a Facebook post from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland where he recounted a personal Christmas experience that changed his perspective of Christmas. In part, he shared this self-rebuke, “…Put your theology where your Christmas carols are” (read his full post here). I decided to take some time and think through the messages of some of these carols. I rediscovered that the truths these Christmas hymns teach can help us understand the “good tidings of great joy” (Luke 2:10) spoken of by the angel to the shepherds on the night of the Savior’s birth.

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Lead Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash