The Ayrtons: Father's Side

We were blessed this evening to be joined by the Ayrton family from the Bowland hills. Equipped with accordion, banjo, bass guitar and drums, they sang old favourites, and preached a simple evangelistic message from Isaiah: The King’s Highway. Included in their songs is one of my favourites:  Father’s Side. A young Jesus goes to the temple wherein he is questioned by the teachers of the law:

 

Just a young boy in the temple one day

Shared with the doctors, they were so amazed

Never had they seen one so young speak so swift

They asked him many questions the conversation went like this:

 

What’s your name, son?

On my mother’s side, my name is Jesus;

But on my Father’s side, I AM Emmanuel.

 

How old are you?

On my mother’s side, now I’m twelve years;

But on my Father’s side, I’ve just always been.

 

Where you from?

On my mother’s side, I’m from Bethlehem;

But on my Father’s side, it’s New Jerusalem.

 

What’s your plan?

On my mother’s side, I’ll be crucified;

But on my Father’s side, in three days I'll arise,

And I will sit by my Father’s side.

 

He was the Son of God, yet the Son of man,

And I can’t help but wonder how Joseph must have felt;

Through an open door that day he heard his Son reply:

'You see I am the King of Kings, that’s on my Father’s side'.

 

Jesus Christ was fully human yet fully divine. He is not half of one and half the other; a super human or demi-god. He is Emmanuel: God with us.

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

1 Timothy 3:16

 

A version of the song can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtyVKPACIeU . Naturally, it's closer to the hills of Tennessee than Lancashire, but the words are the same.