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 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 brothers,
To make music in the heart.”
— The Mood of Christmas, 23

(There’s more at Spirituality and Practice.)

There’s a lot of physical and spiritual work to be done on Sunday. The farewell liturgy for the Holy Innocents building will take place, and then there will be a reception downstairs with finger foods (please bring some to share). About an hour into the party, some people will begin the work of moving the most important liturgical items to St Nicholas. They are to be installed (in the case of the Columbarium) that day. Other items will be used the next Sunday and will find new places in the sacristy there. That
day, more items will be moved into storage against the time when we’ll have a little more space to work with.

There are some who have become lost, who may be found.

There are a few of us who are feeling broken, and we have to work on healing, too.

We’ve found a purpose in feeding the hungry, and must also work on feeding our own souls and the souls of those who may come to us in the future.

We will be released from the things that hold us back, with God’s help, and we will rebuild and make a new thing together with the people of St Nicholas, and there will be peace and music again… with a little hard work and not a little prayer.

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