“THIS IS THE SEASON OF PROMISE”

We face a huge and tough and scary year ahead.  On this Christmas weekend, may you and your loved ones know the power and promise of this time.  Here is Howard Thurman’s poem “The Season of Promise,’ from his book “The Mood of Christmas,” published in 1973.  This poem is at least 50 years old, but it could have been written today.  

“This Is the Season of Promise”

Let the bells be silenced

Let the gifts be stillborn

Let the cheer be muted

Let music be soundless

     Violence stalks the land

     Soaring above the cry of the dying

     Rising above the whimper of the starving

     Floating above the flying machines of death

          Listen to the stillness:

          New life is stirring

          New dreams are on the wing

          New hopes are being readied:

     {Humankind} is fashioning a new heart

     {Humankind} is forging a new mind

     God is at work.

This is the Season of Promise.