Howard Thurman, an African-American theologian, educator, and civil rights leader, is one of my very favourite theologians and poets. This familiar poem has been adapted into a hymn called “I Am the Light of the World,” Voices United #87. I hope you are enjoying a gentle 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 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.

(“The Work of Christmas” is from Howard Thurman’s The Mood of Christmas and Other Celebrations)

Shalom,
Rev. Larry