A Christmas Prayer, a carol-anthem for choir and organ by Prof. Byron Adams

For "A Christmas Prayer," which was commissioned and premiered by Canon Tim Tuller and the Choir of St. John's Episcopal Cathedral, Jacksonville, Florida, I set of a poem attributed to Robert Louis Stevenson, alhtough that attribution is doubtful. This performance features Dr. Craig Phillips conducting the Choir of All Saints' Episcopal Church; Dr. Collin Boothby is the organist. Oddly, seemingly no music publisher is willing to take this carol-antham into their catalogue, perhaps due to the relevance of the text to our turbulent times.

"A Christmas Prayer"
Loving Father,
help us to remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the shepherds,
and worship of the Magi.
Shut the door of hate
and open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift
and good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing of Christ,
and teach us to love one another.
May the Christmas morning
make us glad to be thy children,
and Christmas evening bring us to rest
with grateful hearts,
forgiving and forgiven,
in the Name of the incarnate Christ Our Lord.
Amen.