We’re at Sanctum talking about music in worship. After a conversation about writing Mary’s Lullaby, Ruth Sutherland mentioned her reworking of Once in Royal David’s City to one of the other delegates. I was going to share it in the Sanctum group and discovered it had slipped through the cracks.

So here it is. A slight rewrite of Once in Royal David’s city to give it a bit more meat.

Once in Royal David’s City

Once in royal David’s city, stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby in a manger for His bed.
Mary’s courage brought to birth, Jesus, Saviour of the earth.

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 mean and lowly, lived on earth our Saviour holy.

For he is the promised Saviour, bringing freedom, love and peace
Comfort for the broken-hearted, ever shall our joys increase!
In the darkness of this night, comes the Everlasting Light.

Not in that poor lowly manger, in a home in Bethlehem
We shall see Him, but in glory, in the new Jerusalem!
When creation is restored, there we’ll dwell with Christ our Lord!

Once in Royal Davids City Reworked by Robb and Ruth Sutherland