Advent to Candlemas (Vol. 2)

Article Sections

Contents

  1. Symbols
  2. Harbinger
  3. King
  4. Let Me
  5. Never Such A Maiden
  6. Bible Dance
  7. White
  8. Sweet Jesus
  9. A Candle for a Maid
  10. Councils
  11. New Life
  12. Untimely Tale
  13. Changing Weather
  14. The Prophet
  15. New Baptism
  16. Advent And Christmas
  17. The Grand Vista
  18. The Colours Carol
  19. The Desert Rose
  20. Look down upon the dreary street
  21. Old as Ash
  22. Come Again to Bethlehem
  23. The Christmas Spirit
  24. Image
  25. Paint
  26. Stranger in Bethlehem
  27. The Word of Galilee
  28. The Refugee
  29. Half Way
  30. Jesus!
  31. Hail!
  32. Dance to the Manger
  33. War Carol
  34. The Messiah's Star
  35. Lullaby
  36. Sing a song for this Lady!
  37. Writing
  38. Simple Prayer
  39. Miserere Nobis!
  40. Shadow
  41. Were He Born in Summer
  42. God's Design
  43. Water
  44. Kings
  45. How Bright the Angel
  46. Snow
  47. O What Strange Light
  48. Kataluma
  49. Star Bright

Changing Weather

  1. The bending wind and the long, wet day
    Have kept our mist and mellow fruitfulness at bay.
    The gale and cloud of the marbled sky
    Have wrapped the porcelain moon and glittering stars in grey.
    There is no frost to sharpen sense
    Nor distant coloured lights to make our joy intense
    But unaccustomed gale and flood
    To wrest this Advent from nostalgic childhood.
  2. We shall not look for the glistening snow
    Nor settle softly in the fire's warm afterglow.
    Mildness has mulched the icy crack,
    Losing the nightly play of homeward lane white and black.
    But, then, he lay out of the wind
    Amid the burned out cave fires of His sad mankind,
    No snow to dress the misery,
    Hiding from us His homelessness and poverty.
  3. The land is soft as the task is hard
    To wrest the meaning from the pious manger card;
    So much of good we hoped to last
    Is blended in the memory of Christmas past.
    We love the stable and the Star
    Almost as much as the triumphant Saviour
    But let us keep the message clear,
    Not falsely beautified by legendary atmosphere.