Again the Christmas Board Is Spread

Again the Christ­mas board is spread

Again we ga­ther round;

And thanks too deep for words go up

To God with­out a sound.

Thanks for the com­mon bless­ings first

The com­mon­est of all

The dai­ly bread

the man­na sweet

That nev­er fails to fall.

The dai­ly bread

the dai­ly joy

The greet­ing morn and eve

The kiss of love

the kiss of peace

Which dai­ly we re­ceive.

And if with all the joy He sends

Some grief is al­so there

We praise Him still that He doth give

The pa­tience that can bear.

Can bear

and through the bear­ing find

Within the hard­est lot

Some hid­den grace which none may know

Save those who have it got.

But shall this mer­ry time go past

And thanks re­main un­sped

For Him who said so long ago

I am the liv­ing Bread?

For Him

star-lit by Ma­ry’s smile

Whom sim­ple shep­herds found

And wise men from the brood­ing East

Where ox­en stood around?

No won­der that they wor­shiped Him!

He was a ba­by sweet;

They had been fool­ish not to kneel

And kiss His ro­sy feet.

But lit­tle recked they as He lay

In such a low­ly place

That He should be the Man of men

The cap­tain of His race.

We dif­fer when we speak of Him

Our words are not the same

But in our hearts there burns for aye

One un­di­vid­ed flame.

Our words must dif­fer

but our hearts

Still yield Him rev­er­ence due;

We love in spite of all our creeds;

Our love at least is true.

And if

ab­ove the star­ry skies

He knows of what is here

He knows there is a place for Him

At all our Christ­mas cheer.