Poem: “The Voice of the Christ-Child” by Phillips Brooks

The earth has grown old with its burden of care,

But at Christmas it is always young;

The heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair,

And its soul full of music breaks forth on the air,

When the song of the angels is sung.

It is coming, old earth, it is coming tonight!

On snowflakes which covered thy sod,

The feet of the Christ-child fall gently and white,

And the voice of the Christ-child tells out with delight

That mankind are the children of God.

On the sad and the lowly, the wretched and poor,

The voice of the Christ-child shall fall;

And to every blind wanderer opens the door

Of a hope which he dared not to dream of before,

With a sunshine of welcome for all.

The feet of the humblest may walk in the field

Where the feet of the holiest have trod –

This, this is the marvel to mortals revealed,

When the silvery trumpets of Christmas have pealed,

That mankind are the children of God.