15th December

Written by Jill Illingworth

Mary did you know

“When you kiss your little baby, You’ve kissed the face of God.”

This song is a relatively new addition to the Christmas catalogue of Christian songs as it was written by Mark Lowry in 1984 and the music was composed by Buddy Greene in 1991. I love it because, not only does it have a beautiful melody, it also homes in on what should be my focus during the Advent season – that the baby soon to come is Jesus, the Son of God.

I love Christmas – being with my family, enjoying my tree and festive lights, singing carols and generally having fun and who isn’t moved by the haunting solo in “Once in Royal David’s City”? but “Mary did you know” reminds me that Jesus should be the centre of my Christmas celebrations. Why does this priority matter? An explanation can be found in a well known verse in the Bible: (John 3 v16) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. This explains the importance of Jesus’ birth – through Him we will receive the gift of eternal life – we will be with God in heaven. An amazing gift indeed. I find this very comforting, particularly when day to day life is difficult.

Other parts of the song describe some of Jesus’ actions during His ministry such as healing the blind, the deaf and the lame and calming the storm, but it returns to its original theme several times; reminding me that Jesus is the Son of God.

If you haven’t heard this song, I recommend giving it a listen. You can check it out via the internet. Happy Christmas.