Blithely from the Moated Churchyard

Blithely from the moat­ed church­yard

Ring the clear-voiced bells this morn;

While across the wa­vy land­scape

Far away the mists are borne.

Pass away

ye clouds of sad­ness

Every self­ish care de­part;

Grateful thoughts

and thoughts of glad­ness

Ring from ev­ery Christ­ian heart.

Brightly in the ho­ly chan­cel

Leafy cir­cles in­ter­twine

Telling how in bless­èd Je­sus

Life and strength and joy com­bine.

As be­neath the arch we en­ter

Welcome words our com­ing bless

For in Thee our hopes we cen­ter

Christ

The Lord our Right­eous­ness.

In the nave each space is speak­ing

Of the light which Je­sus brought

Of the free­dom and the glo­ry

Which for all the world He wrought.

Wherefore

O ye con­gre­ga­tion

Should your hearts be cold and dumb

While the walls pro­claim sal­va­tion

And

Arise

thy light is come.

Listen to the old-new mes­sage

At the ho­ly ta­ble kneel;

Grudge not

when ye leave the tem­ple

To dif­fuse the warmth ye feel.

Life has time enough for sad­ness

Clouds too sel­dom pass away;

Only love and peace and glad­ness

Should be named on Christ­mas Day.