When the last carol has been sung - Steve Chalke
Saturday 1st January 2022
When the last carol has been sung
When the tree has been taken down
Then the work of Christmas begins:
To provide food for the hungry
To welcome the refugee
To heal a broken planet
To bring light into the dark
To seek justice for all
To welcome in the joy & challenge of 2022!
Image: "carol singing" by The Public Domain Review is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.
Comments
When the last carol has been sung,
When the tree has been taken down,
Then the exhaustion of Christmas kicks in:
We've provided food for the hungry
Clothed and fed the refugee
but now face a broken planet
heading into new darkness
of hellish fire and overcrowding.
Do we have energy for the challenge of 2022?
The constant call on church members for their involvement
drains their energy; deflects resources to the periphery,
leaves an aging church membership exhausted
as Christmas becomes just another burden
to be faced in their annual sacrifice.
"Lord", they cry, "have mercy!"
but the eager acolytes stumble on
excitedly pursuing their holy dreams
whilst Creation crumbles around them.