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 flock,
The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry
To release the prisoners,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.

And to radiate the Light of Christ,
every day,
in every way,
in all that we do and in all that we say.

Then the work of Christmas begins.

poem by Howard Thurman