"Let the Work of Christmas Begin"

Dear Friends,

As I write this it is December 27th, the third day of Christmas. The Twelve Days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day, December 25th and continue until Epiphany, January 6th. So, I still have time to send out a few more Christmas cards! I do hope you and your loved ones had (and are still having) a Merry Christmas.

For many, Christmas seems to go by so quickly. We build up to December 25th with an almost fever pitch and then it's over, just like that. Radio stations stop playing Christmas music the day after Christmas, stores immediately start to put out Valentine’s Day merchandise, and life goes on as if nothing has happened. Is it any wonder some people feel a major let down after Christmas.

But, shouldn’t life be different after Christmas? After all, didn’t we just celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ: Emmanuel – God with us! Shouldn’t our lives and our priorities be different because of Christmas?!

The Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman addressed those questions in his poem: The Work of Christmas:

When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings and princes are back home,

When the shepherds are back with their flock,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,

To heal the broken,

To feed the hungry,

To release the prisoner,

To rebuild the nations,

To bring peace among people,

To make music in the heart.

As a new year begins, let us begin the work of Christmas!

Grace, Peace, and Love,

Pastor Bill