People often talk about keeping the Christmas spirit of hope, peace, love and joy all year long. And let’s face it, we certainly could use more of those things no matter what the date may be. To that end, we share these two poems by Howard Thurman. My wife and I received them in a Christmas card from a dear friend. Pastor Mark.

 I Will Light Candles This Christmas

 I will light Candles this Christmas,
Candles of joy despite all the sadness,
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch,
Candles of courage for fears ever present,
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,
Candles of love to inspire all my living,
Candles that will burn all year long.

 ~~~~~~~~

When the Song of the Angels Is Stilled

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the 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 people,
     To make music in the heart.

By: Howard Thurman.
These two poems are from the book by Howard Thurman, The Mood of Christmas. You can learn more about Howard Thurman and get a list of his books on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Thurman

Image: ” Dean Howard W Thurman – Howard University – detail from stained glass window” at the  Howard University chapel. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dean_Howard_W_Thurman_-_Howard_University_-_detail_from_stained_glass_window.png

Pastor Mark is the Agency Minister and the VP of Ministry & Community partnerships at Community Missions.