This one day, or a prayer for pastors when Sunday is the 27th

Lord, it’s quick,
this one day
between Christmas and Sunday,
and in it we are
washing dishes
and composing prayers,
waving goodbye to houseguests
and visiting the dying,
taking scraps of ribbon away from the cat
and crossing t’s for tomorrow’s sermon.

Our heads are full
of what went well or not,
and notes for next year,
which we ought to write down
but cannot find a pen
because we cleaned
the house by hiding things.

This work is wonderful,
and full of awe,
and we are glad to do it,
but it’s a lot sometimes,
and this is one of them,
and we wouldn’t mind another day,
just to ponder the angels.

Hold us up, Holy One.
Hold us up,
while we vacuum pine needles
and run off more bulletins,
we pray.

Amen.