Originally sung by Julie Millar on the noel compilation album and then redone by Third Day on the City on a hill Christmas album. Here are both versions followed by the lyrics. You should listen to both - they are quite different in style.
First Julie Miller (her voice may be an accustomed taste but it is one I like)
And now Third Days... (note: they get a bit of help from Julie Miller and Deri Daugherty)
What kind of King would leave His throne
In Heaven to make this earth His home?
While men seek fame and great renown
In loneliness our King comes down
Jesus, Jesus, precious One
How we thank You that You've come
Jesus, Jesus, precious One
A manger throne for God’s own Son
You left the sound of angels' praise
To come for men with unkind ways
And by this Baby's helplessness
The power of nations is laid to rest
What kind of King would come so small
From glory to a humble stall?
That dirty manger is my heart, too
I'll make it a royal throne for You
My heart is a throne
My heart is a throne for God's own Son
This song has been done at least twice as an item at the church I go to.
I was driving along with the old mother in law once (did you know "mother in law" is an anagram of "woman hitler"? - be careful who you tell that information to....) Driving along and it was Christmas and the guy on the radio says something about Jesus being born in the manger. She asks me the honest question - why the big deal about the manger? I'd been a Christian for about a year at that point and it wasn't a question I'd thought about. I think I muttered some platitudes about while he could have been born in a big palace as was His due He chose the manger to identify with all humanity. That it isn't money or power or history that gives a man his worth but rather that He does that which God requires of him.
And boy did Jesus fulfil that.
Is that all though? - just so He could identify, just to show it isn't about things. The big mission (in fact as Jesus says the reason)of Jesus - to die and be resurrected, it would not have been affected if he was born in an inn, or at home with midwives. But here it is the King of King and Lord of Lords born in the lowly of lowlies.
It's mind blowing that the King of Glory, He whose hands flung stars into space, reached up to their mother out of an animals feeding trough.
It's one extreme to the other.
I don't really understand the why and it's been 18 years since the question was asked of me - I just know it happened. God. Human. In the stall. Jesus. Emmanuel. God with Us.
I look forward to finding out.
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