Winter Prayer by Graham Kendrick from Christmas album Dreaming of a Holy Night
http://grahamkendrick.co.uk/songs/item/66
How long O Lord till this winter ends
Until your face shines on us again?
How long O Lord must we wait for you?
Oh hear our cry it surely must be soon
And still we hope and still we dream
Of ancient glory days returning
Though we are slaves in our own land
Your songs are stirring
On our lips again
Songs of wonderment at the Nativity, and longing for the fulfilment of what began on that holy night.
Every year since I wrote and recorded Rumours of Angels I have looked forward to writing another set of songs for the Christmas season. This year, at last, I have felt the time is right.
I have always found the accounts of the nativity to be woven through not only with mystery and wonder, but with the real struggles of ordinary people - especially in the characters of Mary and Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah. In the midst of their dilemmas and disappointments and the drama of what unfolded around them they dreamed of a different world, as so many people do today.
Christmas is a time when for a moment it can be a little easier to imagine a world put right, when hope is rekindled for the peace and goodwill we associate with the best of the Christmas season to become a reality for everyone. I have let my imagination be stirred afresh both from inside the story, empathising with some of the characters, and from outside - looking back in wonder at the incarnation, and forward to the fulfilment of what began on that holy night.
I have loved revisiting my singer songwriter roots, and hope that these 13 new songs will be both an inspiring listening experience, and a source of new music to weave into seasonal concerts and events.