Day 281: December 22nd. 2020

When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins.

In Bethlehem a manger waits

Long ago and so today

Where hatred-weary people pray

Love will come and lay there

And so do countless stables stand

In hearts as harsh as desert lands

Rough shelters in the wind and sand

That love may come and stay there

Love that opens fists of hate

Heaps up gold on beggars’ plates

Love that shows a kindly face

To enemies and strangers

And the walls of stables tremble so

When the winds of fear and judgment blow

For a stable hopes in love alone

And knows that love’s the answer

O Love, the prophet’s only word

The only lesson left to learn

The only end of heaven’s work

And the only road that goes there

Love that sees with mercy’s eyes

Holds its arms out open wide

Threads its loom with separate lives

And weaves them all together

So may the lamps of stables glow

Brightly that their light may go

For miles in the darkness, so

Love will find its way there

From the album, “Midwinter” by Peter Mayer

POEM

“The Work of Christmas” by Howard Thurman

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 all,

To make music in the heart.

SONGS

“Stable” from the album Midwinter by Peter Mayer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwMLJ4g4va4

O Holy Night / Ave Maria ft. Lexi Walker - The Piano Guys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGHUmpUu7Gw

Alison Krauss — "Can't Find My Way Home"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xZxxVlu7BM