Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Talent (01/08/26)
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TITLE: Eddie's Song | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marilyn Borga
01/13/26 -
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Once his mother had passed away, Eddie spent his adult life in one institution or another. Now in his sixties, he resided in one of our town’s nursing facilities and was allowed to wander freely about town. He frequently hung around the ice cream shop in hopes that one of the patrons would treat him to a milkshake. On Sunday evenings, he attended one of the little Bible churches. For morning services, he divided his time between the big Methodist Church and a smaller Pentecostal church. Of the three churches, he finally declared the Methodist Church to be the best because it provided free coffee and donuts before the service.
Eddie was guileless and childlike. He had a slight stutter, and his sentences lurched unevenly in volume and rhythm. He was known to spontaneously speak out during a sermon, a habit that caused some consternation among the pastors. It wouldn’t have mattered except that it took Eddie a bit longer than average to process ideas, and his comment often stood out of place, like a bold exclamation mark in the middle of a sentence. The pastor would momentarily lose his place and would have to stop and pray a silent plea for patience.
Eddie elected to sing “Away in a Manger” for the competition because, he said, it had been his mother’s favorite Christmas carol. When given the go-ahead by the Sunday school leader, he stood and walked proudly to the front to present his song a cappella. He smiled joyfully at the audience and opened his mouth wide.
*Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head; The stars in the sky looked down where He lay, the little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.
Eddie’s singing voice was eerily similar to his speaking voice. It rose and fell at random; the pattern and timing were unpredictable. The pace was halting and painfully slow, and the melody was barely recognizable. But he sang on, peacefully oblivious to any tension in the room.
The cattle are lowing, the poor Baby wakes, but little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.
Eddie slowly lifted his head, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. As he continued to gaze upward with a serene smile, his face seemed to take on a heavenly glow.
I love Thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky, and stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
I looked toward the stained glass windows, where tears filled my vision with prisms of light. In my mind, I could almost see Jesus smiling down into the sanctuary. Blinking, I turned to see others wiping their eyes. Eddie eased into the final stanza after a pregnant pause:
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay, close by me forever, and love me, I pray; Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care, and take them to heaven to live with thee there.
The last note faded, and Eddie returned to his seat. The competitive spirit had slowly drained away from the other contestants. No one wanted to taint Eddie’s song of pure worship with a contest of winners and losers. We were all winners when the Lord Jesus was close by us. By silent consent, the idea of a competition was abandoned. The evening continued with worship and praise, followed by coffee and donuts.
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And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3 (NIV)
*The words to “Away in a Manger” are attributed to Martin Luther and are in the public domain.
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