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Day 18, Away in a Manger

It is Thursday in the 3rd week in Advent. Perhaps the first Christmas carol every child learns to sing is “Away in a Manger”.
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! look down from the sky,
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
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 take us to heaven to live with thee there.
With some new babies coming into our church this Fall, I cannot help but think about the simplicity of this song that has a place in - probably - every church Christmas program.
The song historically was referred to as Martin Luther’s “Cradle Song”. The first known appearance of the song was in 1882. The song was published anonymously and referred to as “Luther’s Cradle Song” in a Christian journal. There were only the first two verses in that publication. It was introduced with the heading:
“The following hymn, composed by Martin Luther for his children, is still sung by many of the German mothers to their little ones.”
We now know Martin Luther did not write or compose the song often attributed to him. Indeed Luther did write a song at Christmas for his newborn son - Hans Luther.
" From Heaven, there I come from " ("From Heaven Above to Earth I Come") is a hymn text relating to the Nativity of Jesus that was written by Luther in 1534.
While the original publication in 1882 said it was “Luther’s Cradle Song”, there is no historical record that Luther ever wrote it. So, where did it come from? The song may have emerged from a German-American author, Carl Mueller while celebrating Luther’s legacy, attributed the work to Luther. No one knows if Mueller wrote it, or found it, or someone else wrote it; but it was James Murray - in 1887 - who published the music that is commonly used today, but without the third verse.
The third verse appeared in a composition written by Charles Gabriel in 1892. There are variant stories of where it comes from. According to William Anderson, a Bishop in the Methodist Church the 3rd verse was written by his friend, John McFarland. Anderson wrote the following:
“When I was Secretary of the Board of Education, 1904–08, I wanted to use "Away in a manger," which I found with the designation "Martin Luther's Cradle Song," in the Children's Day program one year. It had but two stanzas, 1 and 2. Dr. John T. McFarland, then Secretary of our Board of Sunday Schools, was my near neighbor in his office at 150 Fifth Avenue (New York). I asked him to write a third stanza. He went to his office and within an hour brought me the third stanza beginning, "Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay." I used it, which was the first time it was ever published.
For such a simple song, there is so much mystery as to the author, the original verses, and the history of how the song developed and became such a popular part of Christmas carols. The simplicity of the song is what is so appealing. Who cannot hear the song and immediately think of a mother rocking her baby while singing the words? I am reminded of the question given to the great theologian, Dr. John R. Stott. He was asked, “What is the greatest single thought a Christian can ever have about God?” His answer was, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” That is what is captured by this well-known, often sung, “Away in the Manger”

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