Is Christmas History for You?
JANUARY 10TH, 2010 — BAPTISM OF THE LORD
Dear Friends,
No doubt by now you have trashed the torn wrapping paper, crushed (to recycle, we're confident) the now-empty boxes, packed away the limp Christmas stockings and treasured ornaments, discarded the wilted tree... or dismembered its branches and shoved it into a huge box, as the case may be... and returned those too tight or too loose or too "not me" Christmas gifts!
For most of us, Christmas is now a memory, hopefully a warm and nurturing memory as we adjust to the shift in our lives that this ‘post Christmas' season creates. This little poem below, by Howard Thurman, however, suggests that now the "Work of Christmas" is begun. The re-birth of the Christ in our lives that we celebrate on Christmas Day is an invitation to renew and refresh our relationship with the God made Flesh. It is also an imperative to live the good-news in our lives... to "be" the Good News for others in our world. We offer Thurman's thoughts for your reflection... and in the hope that this post-Christmas time finds you with "music in your heart"!
The Work of Christmas
When the song of angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the wise men and wise women are back 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 nations,
To bring peace to all,
To make music in the heart.
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the wise men and wise women are back 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 nations,
To bring peace to all,
To make music in the heart.
(by Howard Thurman — adapted)
As always, The Spirit of Life Community invites you to come and share in the experience of an inclusive Catholic community where every voice is heard, and women and men are unafraid to acknowledge the equality of women and men; and to embrace feminine as well as masculine... and beyond... images of God. As a community, we try wholeheartedly to "be Christ" to one another, to tend to the needs of one another, and to those in need in our world. Together, we celebrate our belief that we are being transformed by God's grace as we gather together in prayer. We warmly invite you to come and gather with us at our Table, and join in our experience of the "kin-dom" of God. We are an inclusive, open, affirming and interactive community, deeply committed to being a people of "justice and joy."
With prayers for peace... and "music in your hearts,
Find more about past weekly reflections and podcasts in our ARCHIVE PAGE.
