“O come to my heart, Lord Jesus;
There is room in my heart for Thee.”
~Emily E. Elliott
Lord Jesus, we thank Thee for the spirit shed abroad in human hearts on Christmas. Even as we invited Thee on Christmas to be born again in our hearts, so wilt Thou now go with us throughout the days ahead, to be our Companion in all that we do. Wilt Thou help each one of us to keep Christmas alive in our hearts and in our homes, that it may continue to flow, to shed its warmth, to speak its message during all the bleak days of Winter.
May we hold to that spirit, that we may be as gentle and as kindly today as we were on Christmas Eve, as generous tomorrow as we were on Christmas morning.
Then if—by Thy help—we should live through a whole week in that spirit, it may be that we can go into another week, and thus be encouraged and gladdened by the discovery that Christmas can last the year round.
So, give us joyful, cheerful hearts to the glory of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
~ written by Rev. Peter Marshall, Chaplain of the Senate, 1946-1949.
“There is much, much more to Christmas, than candlelight and cheer; it’s the Spirit of sweet friendship that brightens all the year. It’s thoughtfulness and kindness; it’s a hope reborn again, for peace, for understanding, and goodwill to all men!”
~ President Calvin Coolidge
