the work of Christmas

​Luke 4:14-21

Sometimes we forget that Bethlehem is only part of the story. Sometimes we forget that Jesus grew up and embodied a life of justice and freedom and hope. Sometimes we forget that Christmas should motivate us to live a life that models what we see in Jesus.
 
These words were printed on an old Quaker calendar:
 
            When the song of the angels is stilled . . .
            When the star in the sky is gone . . .
            When the kings and the 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 brothers and sisters,
                        To make music in the heart.
 
That’s the true work of Christmas – and those who truly understand Christmas will give themselves to that work.
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