Day 20 – Luke 2 verses 6 – 7 (Child of Mary)
Bible Reading – Luke 2 verses 6 – 7
6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Opening Prayer
Loving God. as we come before you in prayer we thank you for the bible. As we once again read the words which mark your coming into the world, we find ourselves once again at the stable. We look in on the wondrous event and are filled with awe. Amen
Reflection
It seems a little early to be reading of the birth of Jesus but if I am to fit in the rest of the nativity we need to start here.
The birth of a baby is a stressful time. A blessed time but still a stressful one. I remember my Dad telling me of his experience when I was born. In those ancient times the Father was not allowed anywhere near the delivery suite.
Mum had a “pinned hip” from a childhood illness. So I was born by caesarean. Dad went to spend time with someone from the church, to wait for the call. Whilst there Dad explained, the person then went on to describe in great detail all of the things that could go wrong with the birth. So much so that he had to excuse himself and go for a walk to escape! Thankfully all was well.
These few short words condense the worry and messiness of birth into a simple “She gave birth”. We do not need to know the nitty gritty of the birth, much as Dad didn’t. However, we should not forget that Jesus was wholly human and the reality of that is that birth though joyful is a traumatic experience.
A time for your own reflection
Read the passage again and spend a little time thinking of how the passage speaks to you. The wonder of scripture is that there is always something new to discover and each passage speaks to us in our own need and circumstances.
Only if you feel you want to – share your thoughts with someone. God inspires our thoughts and you never know, the person you share with may be waiting to hear what you have to say.
Song
Here is the next song –
“Child of Mary”
As I wrote this song I had in mind that no matter who we are, as humans, we all require love, care and comforting. No matter what stage of our lives we are at. The world also needs these things and in greater measure. This is especially so for a new born baby.
As you may have spotted, in some of the other songs, I love the thought of holding Jesus the baby. The Son of God who has and will hold all of us in his own arms. His challenge to us, to love our neighbours is expressed in large part by these three actions we are called to demonstrate – love, care and compassion.
Title: Child of Mary
Words: Chris Hancock
Music: Generated on Suno.com
[Chorus]
Child of Mary
Laid in a manger,
Warmed by the oxen,
Sweet smell of straw,
The Lord of all.
Let me hold you in my arms,
For your arms will hold us all.
[Verse 1]
What need has this baby?
Who has made all things new,
Love, and care, and comforting.
Let me do these things for you.
[Chorus]
Child of Mary,
Laid in a manger,
Warmed by the oxen,
Sweet smell of straw,
The Lord of all,
Let me hold you in my arms,
For your arms will hold us all.
[Verse 2]
What need has the world?
This baby is coming to,
Love, and care, and comforting,
Let me do these things for you.
[Chorus]
Child of Mary,
Laid in a manger,
Warmed by the oxen,
Sweet smell of straw,
The Lord of all.
Let me hold you in my arms,
For your arms will hold us all.
[Verse 3]
What need has the world?
This baby is coming to,
Love, and care, and comforting,
Let me do these things for you.
[Chorus]
Child of Mary,
Laid in a manger,
Warmed by the oxen,
Sweet smell of straw,
The Lord of all.
Let me hold you in my arms,
For your arms will hold us all.
[Verse 4]
What need have I?
As I come again to see,
Love, and care, and comforting,
You will do these things for me.
[Chorus]
Child of Mary,
Laid in a manger,
Warmed by the oxen,
Sweet smell of straw,
The Lord of all,
Let me hold you in my arms,
For your arms will hold us all.
Prayer
Loving God, as we hear of the birth of your Son we bow our heads in awe and wonder. The most precious gift given to us to show your love for us. How can we show how much the gift of your Son means to us?
We are touched with wonder and joy that you should love us in this fantastic way.
We bring to you our praise and adoration. We offer you all that we are and can be. We ask that you use us in whatever way you choose to spread the gospel message of salvation. Salvation which the incredible gift of the coming of Jesus makes possible. Amen.
Copyrights
Reflections and Prayers
By Chris Hancock
Songs
Words of the songs are by Chris Hancock
Music generated on Suno.com
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Bible Readings
Bible readings are from the New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Images
Images where used are from pixabay.com and free for commercial use no attribution required.
