The Work of Christmas Begins

The Christmas tree and a whole lot of decorations come down today, and the feeling is familiar. How empty this home already feels as I remove the garland and lights that countered the winter darkness.

We know that beneath the snow covered ground, life is beginning. We will see its fruit in only a few months.

For us, we are called to be light as the days slowly get longer. May the work of Christmas begin in our actions as is written below. May we look back at this time of stillness and know it was then when inspiration transitioned into action.

The Work of Christmas Begins

When the carols have been stilled,

When the star-topped tree is taken down, When family and friends are gone home,

When we are back to our schedules The work of Christmas begins:

To welcome the refugee, To heal a broken planet,

To feed the hungry,

To build bridges of trust, not walls of fear.

To share our gifts,

To seek justice and peace for all people, To bring Christ's light to the world.

- by Michael Dougherty, a variation on Howard Thurman's

'When the Song of the Angels is Stilled'