As I reflect on the year 2020, it is clear to me that we have come a long way. Most of us have learned to do things we never imagined we would: buy a new iPhone or iPad so that we could learn to navigate Zoom and Facebook, order food, consult with our doctors, send and receive e-cards to and from friends and relatives, bake bread, attend church, record and listen to music, stay connected, endure quiet days at home, appreciate nature, and pray for ourselves and others.
All in all, it was a year of growth that we never expected, but growth that has made us more patient and more understanding of what really matters. God has given us this life to live, and we are called to accept both the joy and the despair, the fears and the inspirations, the darkness and the light.
In a conversation with a priest from England yesterday, the last day of 2020, she mentioned the poet, scholar and theologian Howard Thurman, whom we might remember as one of the pioneers of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement. Thurman wrote this poem about the ongoing work that began with the birth of a baby in Bethlehem many years ago. I hope it brings a sense of purpose to your life as we take on the work before us in 2021. Happy New Year!
The Work of Christmas
—by 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 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,
