The Work of Christmas
by Howard Thurman

When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with their flocks,
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 the people,
to make music in the heart.

These words of Howard Thurman have appeared in my social media feed almost daily these past few weeks as various friends and groups post and re-post them. They touch our hearts and stir in us a reminder that Christmas is more than just a holiday with bright lights and festive music. The celebration of the incarnation of Christ is a holy event that calls us to live each day into the vocation for which God has created each one of us. To Thurman’s words we might add those of Isaiah from worship on Sunday that we are called to shine as “a light to all the nations” (Isaiah 49:6).  We are called to #showup.