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Christmas Verses.
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 | The Poetical Works of Frances Ridley Havergal |  |
367
Christmas Verses.
369
A Merrie Christmas.
‘A merrie Christmas’ to you!
For we serve the Lord with mirth,
And we carol forth glad tidings
Of our holy Saviour's birth.
So we keep the olden greeting
With its meaning deep and true,
And wish ‘a merrie Christmas’
And a happy New Year to you!
For we serve the Lord with mirth,
And we carol forth glad tidings
Of our holy Saviour's birth.
So we keep the olden greeting
With its meaning deep and true,
And wish ‘a merrie Christmas’
And a happy New Year to you!
Oh, yes! ‘a merrie Christmas,’
With blithest song and smile,
Bright with the thought of Him who dwelt
On earth a little while,
That we might dwell for ever
Where never falls a tear:
So ‘a merrie Christmas’ to you,
And a happy, happy year!
With blithest song and smile,
Bright with the thought of Him who dwelt
On earth a little while,
That we might dwell for ever
Where never falls a tear:
So ‘a merrie Christmas’ to you,
And a happy, happy year!
A Happy Christmas.
A happy Christmas to you!
For the Light of Life is born,
And His coming is the sunshine
Of the dark and wintry morn.
The grandest orient glow must pale,
The loveliest western gleams must fail:
But His great Light,
So full, so bright,
Ariseth for thy heart to-day;
His shadow-conquering beams shall never pass away.
For the Light of Life is born,
And His coming is the sunshine
Of the dark and wintry morn.
370
The loveliest western gleams must fail:
But His great Light,
So full, so bright,
Ariseth for thy heart to-day;
His shadow-conquering beams shall never pass away.
A happy Christmas to you!
For the Prince of Peace is come,
And His reign is full of blessings,
Their very crown and sum.
No earthly calm can ever last,
'Tis but the lull before the blast:
But His great peace
Shall still increase
In mighty, all-rejoicing sway;
His kingdom in thy heart shall never pass away.
For the Prince of Peace is come,
And His reign is full of blessings,
Their very crown and sum.
No earthly calm can ever last,
'Tis but the lull before the blast:
But His great peace
Shall still increase
In mighty, all-rejoicing sway;
His kingdom in thy heart shall never pass away.
Our Saviour Christ was Born.
Our Saviour Christ was born
That we might have the rose without the thorn;
All through His desert life
He felt the thorns of human sin and strife.
His blessed feet were bare
To every hurting brier; He did not spare
One bleeding footstep on the way
He came to trace for us, until the day
The cruel crown was pressed upon the Brow,
That smiles upon us from His glory now.
That we might have the rose without the thorn;
All through His desert life
He felt the thorns of human sin and strife.
His blessed feet were bare
To every hurting brier; He did not spare
One bleeding footstep on the way
He came to trace for us, until the day
The cruel crown was pressed upon the Brow,
That smiles upon us from His glory now.
371
And so He won for us
Sweet, thornless, everlasting flowers thus!
He bids our desert way
Rejoice and blossom as the rose to-day.
There is no hidden thorn
In His good gifts of grace; He would adorn
The lives that now are His alone,
With brightness and with beauty all His own.
Then praise the Lord who came on Christmas Day
To give the rose and take the thorns away.
Sweet, thornless, everlasting flowers thus!
He bids our desert way
Rejoice and blossom as the rose to-day.
There is no hidden thorn
In His good gifts of grace; He would adorn
The lives that now are His alone,
With brightness and with beauty all His own.
Then praise the Lord who came on Christmas Day
To give the rose and take the thorns away.
Christmas Gifts.
‘Thou hast received gifts for men.’—
Ps. lxviii. 18.
Christmas gifts for thee,
Fair and free!
Precious things from the heavenly store,
Filling thy casket more and more;
Golden love in divinest chain,
That never can be untwined again;
Silvery carols of joy that swell
Sweetest of all in the heart's lone cell;
Pearls of peace that were sought for thee
In the terrible depths of a fiery sea;
Diamond promises sparkling bright,
Flashing in farthest reaching light.
Fair and free!
Precious things from the heavenly store,
Filling thy casket more and more;
Golden love in divinest chain,
That never can be untwined again;
Silvery carols of joy that swell
Sweetest of all in the heart's lone cell;
Pearls of peace that were sought for thee
In the terrible depths of a fiery sea;
Diamond promises sparkling bright,
Flashing in farthest reaching light.
Christmas gifts for thee,
Grand and free!
Christmas gifts from the King of love,
Brought from His royal home above;
Brought to thee in the far-off land,
Brought to thee by His own dear hand.
Promises held by Christ for thee,
Peace as a river flowing free,
Joy that in His own joy must live,
And love that Infinite Love can give.
Surely thy heart of hearts uplifts
Carols of praise for such Christmas gifts!
Grand and free!
Christmas gifts from the King of love,
Brought from His royal home above;
372
Brought to thee by His own dear hand.
Promises held by Christ for thee,
Peace as a river flowing free,
Joy that in His own joy must live,
And love that Infinite Love can give.
Surely thy heart of hearts uplifts
Carols of praise for such Christmas gifts!
Christmas Mottoes.
[Unto you the Child is born]
Unto you the Child is born,On this blessed Christmas morn.
Unto you, to be your Peace;
Unto you, for He hath found you;
Unto you, with full release
From the weary chains that bound you:
Unto you, that you may rise
Unto Him above the skies.
[The wilderness shall rejoice]
The wilderness shall rejoice,And the wintry waste shall sing,
At the wakening herald voice
Of the coming of the King.
So the sparkling Christmas snow
Is dearer than summer light;
For He whom we love came down below
In the hush of a Christmas night.
373
Holy and bright and calm;
And may all thy life for His dear sake
Be a joyful Christmas psalm.
[Is it a wintry night?]
Is it a wintry night?Watch! for the heavenly light
Shineth, O mourner, around and above!
Tidings of joy to thee
Float on the minstrelsy!
Rise up and welcome the Son of His love.
[Cometh in lowliness]
‘Behold, thy King cometh unto thee.’—
Zech. ix. 9.
Cometh in lowliness,
Cometh in righteousness,
Cometh in mercy all royal and free!
Cometh with grace and might,
Cometh with love and light;
Cometh, belovèd! He cometh to thee!
[Bright be thy Christmas tide!]
Bright be thy Christmas tide!Carol it far and wide,
Jesus, the King and the Saviour, is come!
Jesus thy guest will be;
O let Him dwell with thee!
Open thy heart for His palace and home.
374
[What do the angels sing?]
What do the angels sing?What is the word they bring?
What is the music of Christmas again?
Glad tidings still to thee,
Peace and good-will to thee,
Glory to God in the highest! Amen.
[Oh, Christmas blessings cannot cease]
Oh, Christmas blessings cannot cease,Christmas joy is deep and strong!
For Christ is come to be our Peace,
Our Salvation and our Song.
Christmas Gifts.
[The wondrous love and light]
The wondrous love and light,The fulness and the glory,
The meaning and the might
Of all the Christmas story,
May Christ Himself unfold to you to-day,
And bid you go rejoicing on your way.
[A happy, happy Christmas]
A happy, happy ChristmasBe yours to-day!
Oh, not the failing measure
Of fleeting earthly pleasure,
But Christmas joy abiding,
While years are swiftly gliding,
Be yours, I pray,
Through Him who gave us Christmas Day!
375
With echoes of the angels' song,
And peace that cannot pass away,
And holy gladness, calm and strong,
And sweet heart carols, flowing free!
This is my Christmas wish to thee!
[Down the ages hoary]
Down the ages hoaryPeals the song of glory,
Peace, and God's good-will!
Other echoes die away,
But the song of Christmas Day
Echoes from the Judean hill,
Ever clearer, louder still.
Oh, may its holy, heavenly chime
Make all thy life a Christmas time!
Christmas Sunshine.
[Do the angels know the blessed day]
Do the angels know the blessed day,And strike their harps anew?
Then may the echo of their lay
Float sweetly down to you,
And fill your soul with Christmas song
That your heart shall echo your whole life long.
[Jesus came!—and came for me!]
Jesus came!—and came for me!Simple words! and yet expressing
Depths of holy mystery,
Depths of wondrous love and blessing.
376
All His coming means for me;
Take the things of Christ, I pray,
Show them to my heart to-day.
[Oh, let thy heart make melody]
Oh, let thy heart make melody,And thankful songs uplift,
For Christ Himself is come to be
Thy glorious Christmas gift.
[A happy, happy Christmas]
A happy, happy Christmas,And a happy, happy year!
Oh, we have not deserved it,
And yet we need not fear.
For Jesus has deserved it,
And so, for Jesus' sake,
This cup of joy and blessing
With grateful hand we take.
[There is silence high in the midnight sky]
There is silence high in the midnight sky,And only the sufferers watch the night;
But long ago there was song and glow,
And a message of joy from the Prince of Light,
And the Christmas song of the messenger-throng
The echoes of life shall for ever prolong.
[Great is the mystery]
Great is the mysteryOf wondrous grace,
God manifest we see
In Jesu's face.
377
Of Love Divine,
God manifest for me,
And Jesus mine!
[What was the first angelic word]
What was the first angelic wordThat the startled shepherds heard?—
‘Fear not!’ Beloved, it comes to you
As a Christmas message most sweet and true,
As true for you as it was for them
In the lonely fields of Bethlehem;
And as sweet to-day as it was that night,
When the glory dazzled their mortal sight.
[Christ is come to be my Friend]
Christ is come to be my Friend,Leading, loving to the end;
Christ is come to be my King,
Ordering, ruling everything.
Christ is come! Enough for me,
Lonely though the pathway be.
[Give me a song, O Lord]
Give me a song, O Lord,That I may sing to Thee,
In true and sweet accord
With angel minstrelsy.
Oh, tune my heart that it may bring
A Christmas anthem to my King.
378
[Swell the notes of the Christmas Song!]
Swell the notes of the Christmas Song!Sound it forth through the earth abroad!
Glory to God!
Blessing and honour, thanks and laud!
Take the joy of the Christmas Song!
Are not the tidings good and true?
Peace to you,
And God's good-will that is ever new!
[Christ is come to be thy light]
Christ is come to be thy light,Shining through the darkest night;
He will make thy pilgrim way
Shine unto the perfect day.
Take the message! let it be
Full of Christmas joy to thee!
379
TITLES OF CHRIST.
Wonderful.
‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government
shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace.’—
Isa. ix. 6.
Wonderful! Wonderful!
Ring out the Name, O Christmas chimes!
Wonderful! Wonderful!
Echo the word to farthest climes!
May the splendour of this great Name
Shine and glow with a mighty flame,
Filling thy life with its glorious rays,
Filling thy spirit with Christmas praise.
Counsellor.
Mist and cloud and darkness
Veil the wintry hour,
But the sun dispels them
With his rising power.
Veil the wintry hour,
But the sun dispels them
With his rising power.
Mist and cloud and darkness
Often dim thy day,
But a Christmas glory
Shines upon thy way.
Often dim thy day,
But a Christmas glory
Shines upon thy way.
380
May the Lord of Christmas,
Counsellor and Friend,
Light thy desert pathway
Even to the end.
Counsellor and Friend,
Light thy desert pathway
Even to the end.
The Everlasting Father.
O Name of gentlest grace,O Name of strength and might,
Meeting the heart-need of our orphaned race
With tenderest delight!
Our Everlasting Father! This is He
Who came in deep humility
A little child to be!
The Mighty God.
The Christmas bells proclaim
His glorious name,
‘The Mighty God!’
God manifest indeed,
His glorious name,
‘The Mighty God!’
God manifest indeed,
And yet the Woman's Seed,
To whom we sing
All glory, praise, and laud!
Divinest Lord and King.
To whom we sing
All glory, praise, and laud!
Divinest Lord and King.
381
The Prince of Peace.
O Name of beauty and of calm!O Name of rest and balm,
Of exquisite delight,
And yet of sovereignty and might!
Let it make music in thy heart to-day,
And bid thee go rejoicing on thy way;
For Jesus is thy Peace, thy Prince of Peace,
Whose reign within thy heart shall evermore increase.
Man of Rest.
‘Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest.’
—1 Chron. xxii. 9.
Hall, Christmas morn!
For unto us the Son is born,
The Man of Rest!
The weary quest
Is over now, for He who cometh, calleth,
‘Come unto Me, and I will give you rest!’
The still voice falleth
On hearts that, listening, are blessed.
And daily shall the blessing flow,
And daily shall the gladness grow,
For we which have believed do enter into rest.
| The Poetical Works of Frances Ridley Havergal | |