Once in royal David's city,
|
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
|
Where a mother laid her baby
|
In a manger for His bed:
|
Mary was that mother mild,
|
Jesus Christ her little child.
|
|
He came down to earth from heaven,
|
Who is God and Lord of all,
|
And His shelter was a stable,
|
And His cradle was a stall;
|
With the poor and meek and lowly,
|
Lived on earth our Savior holy.
|
|
And through all
|
His wondrous childhood,
|
He would honor and obey,
|
Love and watch the lowly mother,
|
In whose gentle arms He lay.
|
Christian children all should be,
|
Mild, obedient, good as He.
|
|
For He is our child-hood's pattern,
|
Day by day like us He grew,
|
He was little, weak, and helpless,
|
Tears and smiles like us He knew,
|
And He feeleth for our sadness,
|
And He shareth in our gladness.
|
|
And our eyes at last shall see Him,
|
Through His own redeeming love;
|
For that child so dear and gentle,
|
Is our Lord in heaven above,
|
And He leads His children on,
|
To the place where He is gone.
|
|
Not in that poor lowly stable,
|
With the oxen standing by,
|
We shall see Him, but in heaven,
|
Set at God's right hand on high;
|
When like stars
|
His children crowned,
|
All in white shall be around.
|
|
-----------------
|
Once In Royal David's City
|
Mary Chapin Carpenter |