Buelow: Christmas Prayer

William Buelow began his work with Maria Bacon MacDonald's poetry after reading one of her Christmas poems. After contacting her to seek permission to set the poem to music, he received even more poetry from Ms. MacDonald. Three of these poems became a set of three Christmas Anthems that Mr. Buelow completed in 1996.

Christmas Prayer is a beautiful, short work for chorus with lovely words.

Father, at this Christmas time,
For my dear friends I pray;
Not for gifts to fill their arms,
But things to take away.
Remove their heartaches, ease their pain,
Dissolve their doubts and fears;
Take bitterness from out their hearts
And dry their anguished tears.
Father, this I ask of Thee
Through Jesus Christ above,
That though Thy tender grace they have
Thy gifts, Faith, Hope and Love.
Amen.