When they had heard the king they went their way;
and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them ‘till it came to rest over the place where the child was.
Photo on the top of this page was taken from the article “Photographing the children of war“ on the BBC website
Universal Soldier
Buffy Sainte-Marie
He’s five-foot-two and he’s six-feet-four
He fights with missiles and with spears
He’s all of thirty-one and he’s only seventeen
He’s been a soldier for a thousand years
He’s a Catholic, a Hindu, an Atheist, a Jain
A Buddhist, and a Baptist and a Jew
And he knows he shouldn’t kill
And he knows he always will kill
You for me my friend and me for you
And he’s fighting for Canada
He’s fighting for France
He’s fighting for the USA
And he’s fighting for the Russians
And he’s fighting for Japan
And he thinks we’ll put an end to war this way
And he’s fighting for democracy
He’s fighting for the Reds
He says it’s for the peace of all
He’s the one who must decide
Who’s to live and who’s to die
And he never sees the writing on the wall
But without him how would Hitler have condemned him at Dachau
Without him Caesar would’ve stood alone
He’s the one who gives his body as the weapon of the war
And without him, all this killing can’t go on
He’s the universal soldier and he really is to blame
His orders come from far away no more
They come from him and you and me
And brothers, can’t you see
This is not the way we put an end to war?
The Holly and the Ivy
The holly and the ivy
When they are both full grown
Of all trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown
O, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing in the choir
The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flow’r
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our dear Saviour
O, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing in the choir
The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good
O, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing in the choir
The holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas Day in the morn
O, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing in the choir
The holly bears a bark
As bitter as any gall
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to redeem us all
O, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing in
Sweet singing in
In the choir
7 Prayers for the Advent
By Reverend Henry Keys
THURSDAY
Lord in this season of expectation we welcome You into our lives
We welcome You not just into the moments of silence and solitude when we are aware of Your presence but into the hustle and hassle of each busy day.
We remember that You came to share our human experience .
Help us today, Lord, to find You in our work and our play
In our sadness and sorrow
In our joys and excitement
In our depression and despair
In our fears and anxieties.
Thank You that You are with us at all times and in all our moods
And that we can rest in Your grace, love and peace,
Amen
“How come we can invent better ways to kill each other,
but not one to preserve peace!”
Abhijit Naskar
