And Jesus said, Let the little children come to me- Matthew 19:14
God Rest Our Merry Children- by MaryLou Driedger
God rest our merry children, let nothing them dismay
Let nothing scar their pure young hearts, this blessed Christmas Day
May they still believe in magic, the tinsel and the tree
May nothing mar their happiness or taint their innocent glee.
Our children are the cherished ones, shielded from fear and pain,
We care for them and love them, their dreams and hopes sustain.
God rest our merry children, but may we not forget
Those little ones who have no hope, who only know neglect
The North Korean children so hungry and so cold
AIDS babies born in India who never will grow old
Child soldiers in Uganda who’ve learned to fight and hate
The orphans of Somalia, what shall they celebrate?
In Iraq and Afghanistan the children cannot sleep
They watch the shells exploding; they hear their mothers weep
While land mines in Cambodia kill toddlers while they play
Teenagers in Palestine long for peace one day
And in North America we need only look to see
The suffering of children who live in poverty
Little minds already numbed by their mother’s alcohol and crack
Homeless, hungry and abused, their future looks so black
God rest the children of this world, but may we feel dismay
That so many of our little ones are sad this Christmas day.
Let us pray that sometime soon all children everywhere
Will live in comfort and joy, and never know despair.
God bless our merry children, but open our eyes to see
All of those who need our help, our generosity.
May each of us do our part, whether great or small
To let the children of this world, know that God loves them all.
We wish a peaceful rest this night for young ones far and near
A blissful bit of slumber free from doubt and fear
God rest the children!
