Friend of Dial Hope, in the shadow of the Christmas event and on this ninth day of the New Year in 2010, reflect on this beautiful poem, "Christmas Begins" by the late 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 shephards 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.

Prayer:  Loving God, our names are Sherry, Ike, Lorena, Phyllis, Shirley, Daryl, Gus, Karley, Helen, Vicki, Connie, Evelyn and Clem. We are a mixed bad of lovely colors. Some of us need to lose weight; some of us need to gain weight; some of us hurt; some of us need to have our egos deflated; some of us need to be stroked back to life. Some of us are negative, complain, criticize, and whine; some of us affirm, encourage other with the joyful TA-DA! of the Gospel. Some of us read magazines; some have lost the art of reading and watch the TV culture casket. Some laugh, some cry...yet we all love and bleed and hurt. Awesome God, please tell us again that we are accepted. Let us hear about the Word becoming flesh. If the hairs on our head are numbered, then you know us and love us. And God, help us not to be passive about the Christmas Event, but in our unique ways, may we go in this New Year, tell it on the mountains and in the valleys, that Jesus Christ is born. Amen