Christmas Day

Blessed morning! all the year
Draws its light and warmth from thee;
When thy dawning doth appear,
Night departs and shadows flee.

Suns may rise and suns may set,
Summers come and summers go,
Earth its wintry grave forget,
When the vernal breezes blow;

But the day would be as night,
And the summer winter prove,
If the rising of thy light
Did not wake our souls to love.

O the blessedness of those
Who thine inner sunshine feel
With its calm and soft repose,
Gently o'er their spirits steal;

Who, as earth doth own the power
Of her sun her life to wake,
Burst as doth an opening flower,
Into life for Jesu's sake!

In His house in holy mood
We have knelt and prayed to-day,
By His body and His blood
Strengthened for our heavenly way:

In the manger we have laid
All our worldly pomp and pride,
Where with beasts the Saviour made
His first cradle, side by side:

On the mountain we have heard
Sweeter chimes than ever rang,
Or Creation's silence stirred,
Since the stars of morning sang:

One bright angel told the story,
Myriads answer'd him again:
'Unto God in highest, glory!
Peace on earth, good will tow'rd men.'

In our homes His blessed name
Brightens joy round every hearth,
And its meetest place doth claim
In the Christian's evening mirth.

Homes with crowded love were fair,
On the night when Thou wast born;
Fill them Lord with love and prayer
For the day of Thy return.

And as Thou, to make us Thine,
Stoop'd a mortal man to be,
Fill us with Thy life divine,
Lift our lives of love to Thee.