The Work of Christmas

(A 2011 reflection on what the Church is called to in the transition from Christmas to Epiphany)

The work of Christmas? Wait… it’s January. It’s 2011! 2011? Yep, 2011. But as I write this we are still in the season of Christmas. The 10th Day of Christmas to be exact. After we have spent 12 days being Christmas people, trying to savor the gift of a Savior, trying to hold on to the joy, wonder and mystery of it all while people have been quickly moving forward, barely pausing to take a breath and just trying to “make it through the holidays” … what then? Well… it’s time for us to move on too.

This week we transition to a new season, the Season After the Epiphany. On January 6th we celebrate the day that the wise men arrived in Bethlehem and not only encountered our Messiah, Emmanuel, God with us… but helped to further reveal the Christ child and his true identity to the world. We have benefited from their long journey and diligent search for the Messiah and now are followers of that child. As we begin a new year we get to ask as a parish and as individuals: how will we continue to diligently search for our Messiah? How will we join him in his mission to heal the world? How will we help others who are searching for him and the hope, love, and grace that he brings?

As I leave you to consider this question I share a poem written by Dr. Howard Thurman, a spiritual advisor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we celebrate this month.

The Work of Christmas by Dr. 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

New Year & Epiphany Blessings, Lori+