A Short Christmas Message

I must be honest and admit that this year it’s been harder than ever for me to “get into the holiday spirit”.  Naturally, I’m going through the motions of celebrating the day.  Despite my inner Scrooge/Grinch clawing its way out of my innermost psyche, I’m trying my best to enjoy the day. 

 

Yet, who can blame me for my mood?  Our country has created a humanitarian crisis along its southern border against refugees escaping conditions that are clearly beyond our middle-class American imagination.  For the life of me, I cannot picture Jesus lobbing tear gas at small children.  Because of this and other crises created by the current American leadership, I don’t believe that this Christian nation celebrating their Savior’s birth is deserving of the said Savior’s blessings, not this year at least.

So, I will try to think positive things as another part of the holiday season calls for the spirit of hope to imbue within ourselves. Our local newspaper, The Philadelphia Inquirer, helped out nicely this morning with the publication of “The Work of Christmas” by a theologian, 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 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 the people,

to make music in the heart.

Now I’m feeling better.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!

(Thank you for reading.)