The Work of Christmas

by Ruth Croft 7 January 2024

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.John 1:14 

The shopping frenzy is done, the turkey is long gone, the New Year is rung in, the decorations are all packed away, so now we can rest for another eleven months right? 

Wrong! When we have put away the ‘trappings’ of a modern Christmas and open ourselves up to allow the infant Jesus into our hearts, the Word doesn’t just dwell among us, it dwells within us. That’s when the work of Christmas truly begins, as we want to learn more about Jesus the man and the work he was sent, by God, to do.

I came across this short poem by Howard Thurman, which makes the point far better than I can. 

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 others,
To make music in the heart.

You might like to offer your own prayers on these things as you listen to this reflective version of Noel Richard’s song.

Filled with compassion