By Mary C. Frances, Executive Director and Senior Consultant
The tinsel is packed away, the holiday music has faded, and for many, the rhythmic return to “normal” has begun. But for communities of faith and conscience, the most critical work is just starting. This truth is powerfully framed by theologian Howard Thurman in his iconic poem, “The Work of Christmas.” Thurman writes that after the angels fall silent and the star disappears, the real task begins: “to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner.”
Many of you may remember that I moved to Minnesota last Fall. And this week in Minneapolis, my new hometown, this work moves from poetic vision to urgent, street-level action as community organizers and faith leaders plan events focused on peace, justice and equality for all for January 22nd and 23rd. These demonstrations are not a departure from the Christmas spirit but a direct enactment of it. They seek literally “to release the prisoner” from a system of detention and deportation that fractures families and sows fear. They aim “to heal the broken” communities terrorized by the threat of sudden disappearance. In the icy January air, (the high on Friday will be -9!) the work of Christmas continues as a protest against a machinery of exclusion.
It might not be your first thought right now, but this action is given critical context and direction by tools like the Neighborhood Insights Report and MissionMaps from FaithX. This innovative resource uses demographic and socio-economic data to map a community’s vulnerabilities and assets—not as abstract numbers, but as a guide for faithful presence. Where is pain concentrated? Where is resilience found? A report on Minneapolis would likely illuminate the very neighborhoods most impacted by ICE surveillance and enforcement: communities with higher percentages of immigrant residents, multilingual households, and perhaps lower median incomes. The NIR could show schools that may be at risk and businesses that may need support as well as community institutions, including faith communities, that are already positioned to act and support their neighbors. My husband and I went to visit a Mexican restaurant we know well in an effort to lend our support only to find the doors locked and a closed sign on the door. How will that business owner, a person of color, pay his workers and support his family? Children are afraid to go to school. Families are in hiding and in need of food. The list of examples goes on and on.
Thurman’s work calls us to move. The Neighborhood Insights Report shows us where to walk. The organizers of the upcoming March are taking those steps. This is the powerful convergence where spiritual mandate meets strategic analysis and courageous action.
The “work of Christmas” is therefore not a vague feeling of goodwill. It is the specific, often difficult labor of aligning our societal structures with the values of dignity, family, and sanctuary that the Christmas story heralds. It means seeing the sacred not only in a manger but in the fight to keep a family together. It means understanding that to “find the lost” in 2026 involves navigating complex data on housing insecurity and immigration status to locate those most at risk of being lost to detention centers.
As we step into this new year, the challenge before us is to hold these three elements together: the why from Thurman’s prophetic poetry, the where from tools like the Neighborhood Insights Report, and the how from the brave, organized witness of faith leaders and ordinary citizens on our streets. The carols may be over, but the song of justice must rise. The work of Christmas is here, and it is demanding our presence in Minneapolis. Won’t you join us?
