"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 home, when the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost, to heal the broken, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among brothers and sisters, to make music in the heart"
Howard Thurman
Following is a reflection from Rev'd Dr Sara I Chandler via The answer. St Margaret's Woodbridge, Virginia.
"This little piece is one of my favourites. It reminds me that the real Christmas is not putting up a tree or taking it down, not in decorating or undecorating, not in shopping or in returning things to the store. Rather the work of Christmas is recognising the meaning of Christ's coming for the world and us. To begin to understand that the meaning is to begin to live it out by mending a quarrel...seeking out a forgotten friend.....dismissing suspicion and replacing it with trust....writing a letter...sharing some treasure....giving a soft answer...encouraging youth....manifesting our faith in word and deed...keeping a promise....Finding the time....Foregoing a grudge....forgiving an enemy...listening...apologising if you were wrong...trying to understand...rejecting envy as unworthy....Examining your demands on others...appreciating others...being kind and gentle...laughing a little...laughing a little more...taking up arms against malice...decry complacency...Express your gratitude....Welcome a stranger...speak your love....speak it again....speak it still once more!"