"But tonight, You are mine"

I'm in love.

I've always enjoyed lullaby-type Christmas carols and songs about Mary, the mother of Jesus. I have several favorites, including "Mary's Lullaby" from the Primary Children's Songbook and "Mary, Did You Know?" by Buddy Greene.

I heard a new one last Sunday at our stake (regional church group) Music of Christmas concert. It's called "Mary's Lullaby (Tonight You Are Mine)," by Bertha A. Kleinman and Wanda West Palmer. The vocalist sang with great feeling, and the lyrics touched me deeply.

The mortal birth and death of Jesus Christ were predicted by prophets for centuries. We just read a beautiful description by King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon in our family scripture study:

And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.

And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him.

Mosiah 3:7-9

Mary would have been taught the prophecies about the Messiah. Surely, she had at least a small glimmer of understanding that the holy child she was chosen to bear was destined to go through unimaginable suffering and pain, not because He deserved it in any way, but because He volunteered before the Earth was formed to perform an atonement for the sins of us imperfect beings. To save us.

I imagine Mary knew this intellectually. But surely, it became incredibly and heartbreakingly more real when Jesus was born. When I think of my own little son and how precious he is to me, and consider how Mary must have felt about Jesus, my respect and admiration for her absolutely explode. She was truly an elect woman.

Back to the song I heard last week. It's written as if Mary were speaking to, or perhaps praying over, Jesus. This is the verse that touched me so deeply (plus the chorus):

Away, spectered future of sorrow and plight.

Away to the years that must follow tonight.

The pangs of Gethsemane, let them be dim;

The red drops on Calvary, not, Lord, for him!

Oh, let me enfold thee, my baby, tonight;

While legions are singing in joyous delight.

A new star has risen to hail thee divine,

For you are a king, but tonight you are mine.

Isn't that powerful? Sometimes we just have to take life one day at a time, and that's what Mary is choosing to do in this lullaby. She knows exactly Whom she's holding in her arms, and she's choosing to enjoy every minute she has with Him.

I'm reminded of my own (sometimes) sleepless nights with Will, holding him and rocking him to sleep. It's tiring for sure, but there's also a sweetness in those early morning hours with a baby in my arms. My baby. A gift and a great responsibility, straight from God.

It's a special time of year to have a new baby boy.