What is the work of Christmas?

As we settle into 2026, the weather reminds us that we live in Canada – snow, wind, cold and beautiful, sunny winter days. I read recently about the “work of Christmas”. Christmas is about light breaking into the world. We spend weeks preparing for one day, Christmas Day, December 25th. How much do we think about what happens after Christmas? We make resolutions and we restart with a new year.

In this current world, it is so important to think about the work of Christmas. Tinsel glistens, carols ring, and gifts sit wrapped and ready. Now, the busy of Christmas comes to its crescendo, followed by the quiet dim of a holiday glow. Written in 1948, the poem below remains as powerful and relevant as when it was penned 76 years ago.
Howard Thurman was a professor, pastor, and civil rights leader. Born in 1899, he founded the first major interracial, interdenominational church in the United States, was the first black dean at a mostly white American university, and served as mentor to scores of students, including Martin Luther King, Jr.
Yet, Howard Thurman remains widely unknown. The activist was not boastful or loud. He believed real change was internal, individual, and often quiet.
“There must be always remaining in every life,” he wrote, “some place for the singing of angels, some place for that which in itself is breathless and beautiful.”
Colleagues and scholars have long praised Thurman’s work and heart.
“He gently and powerfully moved through the world in a spirit of grace, dignity, and humility,” says Walter Fluker, a professor at Boston University, where Thurman served as dean.
With grace, dignity and humility — the spirit of Christmas shines on.

The Work of 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 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 others,
To make music in the heart.
Howard Thurman