Happy New Year to everyone in of our learning community!  I hope everybody had a restful Christmas break with family and friends.  Although Christmas is a joyous time, for some it is not.  I ask everyone to pray and help support the people who experienced stress this past Christmas season.

We have had all the Christmas celebrating, opening gifts, and delicious Christmas meals. We have taken down the Christmas tree and boxed up the decorations.  Christmas is over, but wait; is that all there is to Christmas?  Is it just a time to briefly remember the birth of Christ, give and receive gifts, visit with family, and enjoy big meals?  As Howard Thurman says, now that the Christmas season is over the real work of Christmas begins:

“When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the star in the sky is gone,

When Kings and Princes return home,

When the shepherds are back with their flocks,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,

To heal the broken in spirit,

To feed the hungry,

To release the oppressed,

To rebuild nations,

To bring peace among all people’s,

To make a little music with the heart . . .

And to radiate the Light of Christ,

Every day, in every way,

In all that we do and in all that we say.

Then the work of Christmas begins.”

As Christmas ends and a new year starts, we must remember that the ‘New Year’ is a gift from God.  All the joyous events that we will be experiencing in 2019 will be carrying God’s blessing.  I hope that every day in 2019 we live like it is Christmas Day.  Christ, our Savior will be with us throughout 2019, all we must do is invite and welcome Him in.  As we reflect on the miracle of Christmas, you realize that the work of Christmas has only just begun.  Please work throughout 2019 to support all the members of our community, especially those that may be struggling.  The work of Christmas has just started.

Blessings to everyone in our learning community as we continually celebrate the birth of Jesus and a Happy New Year!

Greg Kostiuk