Maha Raeta Nindedi Lyrics by Rookantha Gunathilaka

The day you came bearing human form,
the day you brought peace,
the day you freed the world from darkness,
let us sing and play, it is Christmas now
though you came to save us,
we offer our thanks to you,
to keep safe the peace you gave,
you, you are the refuge, Jesus

On the great night, in sleep…

Amid the flames of war I have come,
I seek your refuge,
virtue is gone, the world lies ruined,
why delay any longer, Jesus?
let us share what we have between us,
Christmas grows brighter still,
because peace and harmony spread,
Jesus came at Christmas

On the great night, in sleep…

This is a Christmas carol that carries a prayer for peace inside it. It celebrates the nativity as three gifts at once: the day you came in human form, the day you brought peace, the day you freed the world from darkness. For all that, the singer says, let us sing and play, because it is Christmas, and he gives thanks to the child who came to save, calling him the one true refuge.

Then the song turns unexpectedly heavy. Amid the flames of war I have come seeking your refuge, he sings, virtue has vanished and the world lies in ruins, so why do you delay any longer, Jesus? In a country that lived through decades of civil war, a line like that turns a gentle carol into a real cry for the fighting to end.

Its answer is the plainest meaning of Christmas: sharing. Let us share what we have between us, it says, and Christmas grows brighter for it, because Jesus came so that peace and harmony could spread. The carol ends where it is happiest, holding together the birth of the child, the longing for peace, and the simple act of giving as one and the same thing.