Surrendering to Jesus
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a Shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.
That stanza is from a 19th century poem that became the Christmas carol, In the Bleak Midwinter, which we’ll be looking at this Sunday as we continue our Christmas teaching series, With Joy and With Songs. The song will accompany our examination of Matthew 2:1-12 and Luke 2:8-20 as we consider how both the shepherds and the magi surrendered themselves to the will of God to honour the birth of Jesus. The Scriptures will show us that once we have surrendered our hearts to Jesus, we’ll embrace the simplicity of faith, be in awe of the magnificence of God, and bring him the gift of our obedience, just as the shepherds and magi did those many years ago.
Sermon Notes
With Joy and With Songs
Surrendering to Jesus
Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 2:8-20
Todd Dugard
December 13, 2020
Once I’ve surrendered my heart to Jesus…
—
…I’ll embrace the simplicity of faith (Matthew 2:1–8; Luke 2:8–14)
In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan;
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago
—
…I’ll be in awe of the magnificence of God (Matthew 2:9–11a; Luke 2:17–20)
Our God, heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain,
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty —
Jesus Christ
The stark language of the poem belies the intensity and complexity of its imagery and feeling. Indeed, beneath a deceptively simple surface, at the heart of the poem is a profound paradox. The juxtaposition of simple, earthly elements—wind, water, snow, hay—with the ineffability of the incarnation points toward the very crux of Christmas: might made humble, Word become flesh, God with us.
Karen Swallow Prior
—
…I’ll bring him the gift of obedience (Matthew 2:11b–12; Luke 2:15–16)
What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a Shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can, I give Him,
Give my heart