Echoes of Emmanuel – Winter’s Gift

What Is “In the Bleak Midwinter” About?

Beginning with a stark description of winter, this carol is a study in contrasts. The author and poet Christina Rosetti uses vivid imagery to draw us from the weight of spiritual darkness before Christ’s birth, to the majesty of heaven, and back down to the reason Jesus left such splendor, the tender offering of our own hearts. In short, “In the Bleak Midwinter” celebrates God coming to live among us and the powerful simplicity of the Gospel itself.

Dealing with a Winter of the Soul

While Mary certainly didn’t give birth in an English winter like the one Rosetti described, this carol addresses the spiritual darkness that Jesus was born to defeat. 

Now, as in Jesus’ days, we face hardship and grief. Jesus acknowledges and even promises such trouble to his disciples in John 16:33 when he says, “In the world you will have tribulation.”

However, just like the carol, Jesus offered His disciples reassurance along with the difficult truth: “[T]ake heart; I have overcome the world.” We aren’t promised happiness in this life, but we are called to something deeper and more lasting: joy, and a life with Him. 

Living God’s Purpose from the Beginning

In the midst of the contrasts, verse three focuses on the Christ child’s reaction. Here, the repeating phrase “enough for him” pulls our attention from the angels and animals to the baby at the center of the scene. 

The incarnation gives us a profound lesson on contentment. As Jesus would tell his parents eleven years later, He was “about [His] Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). Even born into a world of spiritual bleakness, Jesus lived in the identity and purpose He had in His Father. And that was enough. How might our own perspectives change as we strive to live out God’s purposes rather than our own?

What Can We Give Him?

The Gospel is a strange story. It holds the wonder and power of a God whose nature is goodness and love, but it also draws a straight line from the manger to the cross. The message is simple: God sacrificed His Son, so that with a profession of faith and surrender, we might be close with Him again. 

However, the Gospel often doesn’t feel simple. Fear, worry, and shame can make the path to reconciliation with our Creator seem impossible to travel. Rosetti’s final verse brings us back to the simple truth. God asks for nothing more and nothing less than our hearts.

More Joy, More Hope, More Advent

The songs and Scriptures of Advent have so much to teach us if we are willing to listen! Stream Echoes of Emmanuel each Sunday for more reflections on timeless carols—plus, heart-lifting performances from Christy Nockels and Jon Reddick. 

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December 22nd: Episode 3