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 to all people,

To make music from the heart.

—Howard Thurman (1899-1981)

It's the first Monday of the new year, and already, I have a list of to-dos, groceries to meal-prep, and friends to catch up with. Students come tomorrow, and I'm excited. I'm excited for the new semester. I'm excited for my new role. And I'm excited for the post-grad life, which feels closer and closer by the day.

For many of us, January feels like a fresh start or, at the very least, a transition back to "normal." The days of our Christmas decorations are numbered, and soon, we will all forget about the chaos of December (though our bank accounts may not as quickly...).

In the Christian liturgical calendar, too, we see a transition (if you're unfamiliar, take a look below!). After weeks of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany Sunday, we are finally entering the period of "Ordinary Time" (the filler between holy days and preparation seasons).

But... unlike the name suggests, there is nothing ordinary about this time. As much as grocery store chains and name brands are ready to pack up the trees and bring out the Valentine's Day decor... the Christmas season is not really over. 

The Christmas call still lingers, and the Christmas story still demands that we live our lives, starting now, as changed people... Advent people. God's people.

The Reason and The Season

I've seen a lot of posts lately that compare "The Reason" vs. "The Season" of Christmas. Each image parallels a cross with a Christmas tree or the crown of thorns with a wreath, as if to remind us of the real reason behind the Christmas story: Jesus's crucifixion.

But while these images can be powerful (and they might even bring something to the table), I can't help but hesitate to fully buy into their message.

The Christmas story—the Christian story—is not just one of personal salvation or the hope of Heaven. None of the characters we read about in this story were primarily concerned with Jesus's death or afterlife consequences.

In fact, if Mary and Joseph looked to Jesus for anything, it was as a son... and maybe (they hoped) as someone who could redeem Israel. To the Jews, the Messiah was always about redeeming the world—redeeming the right now. A hope for something after? That was not a primary concern (if one at all).

And so, while the Christmas story may mean different things to different people now, at the time, the "good news" was more about a hope for change. A hope for justice. The light of the world. God with us.

Like Jesus

So yes, January is a transition. It's a fresh start. A new year... But January is also an opportunity to remember a different reason for Christmas—what Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and even the magi celebrated thousands of years ago: that God is here, and change will follow.

This year, I invite us to ask ourselves two questions: 1) Who do you want to be? And I don't mean jobs or material things... I mean, how do you want to love? How do you want to be known? To react, give, welcome, and forgive?

And 2), How do you want the world to be? More peaceful? More loving? More kind? More inclusive?

In 2026, we are invited to be like Jesus—to enter a world that is not perfect and bring a message of good news.

Right now, I believe that God is calling us to be children of light. Right now, I believe that God is calling us, fueled by hope, peace, joy, and love, to begin the work of Christmas. To find the lost, heal the broken, feed the hungry, release the prisoner, rebuild the nations, bring peace to all people, and make music from the heart.

It may not be easy, and it will last far longer than the Christmas season, but it will be good. And it will change us for the better:) So in this "ordinary time," let us go, Advent People, bursting into the new year and beginning the work of Christmas. Let us be like Jesus. Let us go love. Amen.