Christian contemplative, pastor, theologian, mystic and my personal favorite, graduate of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, my alma mater, the Reverend Dr. Howard Thurman offers these words and this sacred work done after Christmas, after we have changed seasons and the music has changed in local department stores and shopping malls, when the commercials change to honor the Reverend Dr. King, to celebrate love or St. Patrick.  We must continue the work of Christmas and here’s our to- do list:

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 brothers,
To make music in the heart.