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Rev Paige’s Corner: Christmas is more than a day
In retail land, it feels as if we have been hearing about Christmas since the day after Halloween and when I was in stores this week, I saw signs of Valentines starting to show up. We will be encouraged to move on. Decorations will come down quickly as will lights. It is easy to get sucked into post-Christmas let-down.
When I was a kid, Christmas day was often a race to see extended family with multiple stops where we would have food, open presents and then tear off to the next place. It was exhausting and I remember as a kid being mad that there was little time to play with new toys. As an adult, I have come to really appreciate the 12 Days of Christmas as a chance to extend our celebration and make Christmas last longer and buy some time to really enjoy it including family visits.
Howard Thurman wrote a wonderful reflection: “The Work of Christmas” that extends Christmas even further:
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.
Merry Christmas!
Rev Paige Besse-Rankin
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