DAY 13 - ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID'S CITY

At All Saints' Rectory this evening, we were treated to a profoundly atmospheric display of a cluster of small houses surrounded by hills, overlooked by a bright star and attended by angels.

At first sight,  I wondered whether this was the "little town of Bethlehem" - and in a way, it was.  But we were reminded, too, that this was the place of King David's lineage - hence, the carol:  Once in Royal David's City.

It is worth doing a bit of homework tonight, and taking a look at the genealogy set out in the first chapter of Matthew's gospel.  You'll find some interesting features there:  three groups of fourteen, at the end of each of which a significant event took place;  mention of four women (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba - each quite extraordinary in their own way!); and an ancestry which begins with Abraham and traces forward to Jesus.  Contrast this with the genealogy in Luke which traces Jesus' ancestry beginning with Joseph, working back as far as Adam and emphasising Christ's kingly descent!

Bethlehem was, of course, the place of King David's roots. For a people who yearned for a return from exile, this town was always going to be of momentous significance.  Here, in Bethlehem, where David had been called to be king in the first place, was born the great successor to King David, born to be king in the very same place!

Like so many carols, this one - written by Mrs Cecil Alexander in the late 1840s -  has strongly christianised the biblical narrative.  There are some points where you pause, however, and wonder whether the reality was quite as she wrote it.  For example, she writes: "And through all his wondrous childhood, He would honour and obey" - yet we can recall of one occasion when, far from doing his parents' bidding, he wandered away from his parents and was found in the temple teaching the leaders!   And whilst it is surely commendable that "Christian children all must be, mild, obedient, good as He", we should also remember that Jesus was not always meek and mild - as the money changers in the temple could surely testify!

Yes, we need child-like faith to trust in Jesus Christ -  of course we do!  But let us also remember that Jesus the King is the all-powerful Son of Almighty God and, in the closing word of this song, "He leads His children on, to the place where He is gone".