Tidbits for Thought

THE DAY AFTER

Luke 2:11 “Today in the town of David a Savior has been

born to you; He is Christ the Lord.”

“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 flocks

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost…. To heal the broken…To feed the

hungry….

To release the prisoners…. To rebuild nations…. To bring

peace among the people…. To make music in the heart.”

Excerpt from “The Mood of Christmas” Howard Thurman

I couldn’t help but marvel at the simplicity of Thurman’s

words that convey a truth so very, very profound. The

humble birth of Jesus was the center-piece of the most

powerful movement to ever grace the history of mankind,

yet it was but the prelude to a relentless journey that

culminated in a disgraceful death and the incredible

Resurrection that defeated death and sin itself. In between

those momentous moments in time lie the work that Jesus

proclaimed as His mission on this sad planet as related by

the prophet Isaiah (61:1-2) “The Spirit of the Sovereign

Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach

the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the

brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captive and

release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year

of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to

comfort all who mourn.”

When Jesus physically left our world, He left us with the

Spirit to help us, as his hands, feet, eyes, ears and heart, to

grow and fulfill His stated mission. So, as we ease into a

new year, we might pray that we listen and heed the voice

from the Spirit within that prompts us to reach out and help

those who are less fortunate.…. that screams at us to speak

up and speak out whenever and wherever we encounter hate,

bigotry, lies and injustice … that alerts us to see clearly the

needs of others and try to the best of our abilities to assist….

that urges us to listen closely to the cries of the broken

hearted and grieving and then provide a listening ear and a

compassionate heart.…. that commands us to forgive more

and judge less, just as Jesus did … that stirs us to share more

of our resources, both physical and spiritual…… that ignites

the passion to share our experience, strength and hope with

all who care to listen…… that softly proclaims and promises

that, in spite all evidence to the contrary:

LOVE WILL HAVE THE LAST AND BEST WORD!

Think about it!        

~ Aron Smith