As I’ve been reflecting on Christmas an old carol came to my mind. It’s called “I wonder as I wander,” and it’s not very well known today. The words to the first verse are…I wonder as I wander out under the sky,
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die.
For poor on’ry people like you and like I…
I wonder as I wander out under the sky.
If you’re wondering, on’ry simply means disagreeable. Although the original author is not known, we do know it was a song sung by people in and around the Appalachian mountains in North Carolina and discovered by John Jacob Niles in 1933. It was a song by common people for common people, and it asks a good question. How did Jesus come to die for me? The real question behind the question is why… why did Jesus become the Cradled King for me?
The only answer that really holds any weight is love. God is not simply loving… He is love (1 John 4:8). We find in Jesus, the Cradled King, the fullness of God’s love. God pursuing us, come down as a humble baby, and yet a king – for us. As we enter the Christmas season may we rest, reflect, and experience a love we could never – being only human – fully understand or express.