Unlike the commercialized holiday, the Christian’s Christmas lasts the year long. Every Lord’s Day we gather as God’s people to celebrate the incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension of our Savior. So it was perhaps not too odd for me to have written this carol in the heat of July.

Having written hymns for ten years now, I had never yet attempted one focused on the theme of the incarnation. The topic seemed too marvelous and mysterious to justify it with my own paltry words. But then I thought that perhaps rejoicing in the mystery of it all would be a fitting approach. How could a mighty Messiah be weak? How could a King come in poverty? Why would a High Priest die for sinners? How is it that the God who sleeps in the manger still upholds the universe by the Word of his power?

This carol rests in the contemplative, and that is brought out beautifully by a pensive, almost lullaby-like tune by composer Josh Bauder. The singable and memorable melody rises sequentially over three phrases before falling back to its original register in a comforting, settled gesture for the final cadence. This restful shape to the music, along with the lilting rhythm, draws out not only the image of the sleeping Savior but also the peace of the believer who is held in the arms of Almighty God.

The author is pastor of Community Presbyterian in Kalamazoo, Michigan. To download a PDF of the sheet music of “In the Manger,” visit hymnsofdevotion.com. New Horizons, December 2023.