When I wrote This Child, my own children were very small. I wanted to create a Christmas song they could sing, something that was joyful and fun but also something that carried weight and meaning. It’s a song that’s easy to sing, yet behind its simplicity are some very deep truths.

The inspiration came from Mary’s song, the Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55), where she celebrates the God who raises up the humble and brings down the proud. That great reversal; the mighty made low, the lowly lifted high, lies at the heart of the Christmas story. It’s a joyful message, full of good news for the poor and hope for the world.

There’s a wonderful sense of celebration in the song, but it also points us to something profound. One of my favourite lines is:

“This child, coming to us like a stranger.”

That line captures for me something of the mystery of the Incarnation, that God Himself would come among us, yet not be recognised for who He truly is. He comes quietly, humbly, vulnerably. But He doesn’t come to remain a stranger. He comes to become our friend, to draw us into relationship with Himself.

That’s the heart of This Child: the wonder that God has come near, not in power or splendour, but in humility and love. It’s a song that invites us to sing with joy, to welcome the Child who came to be known, and to remember that through Him, heaven has come close to earth.