With all fellow Christians who gather tonight We wait in the darkness to welcome the Light; For dark is the world at the dead of the year, And dark are our churches till he shall appear. In secular cities, whose glare is not light, The revelers snatch at the pleasures of night; In silence and darkness, where drifting is deep, The dutiful shepherd takes care of his sheep. How many this Christmas look up at the light, And, blinded by evil, see nothing but night; How many dismiss, as a tale that is told, The love of the Shepherd, the warmth of his fold. Then join in our carols this cold Christmas Eve, For great is our joy if we truly believe That Jesus was born in the dead of this night To help us to live as the Children of Light.