The Work of Christmas

"Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Luke 4:16-21

(A litany from Howard Thurman, heard in church one Sunday. . .)

“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.”

Prayer: May the prophecy of Isaiah continue to be fulfilled in our world today. Lord help me to be a channel of blessing to others in the name and spirit of Jesus.