HELLO!

A Blue Christmas service for those who have suffered loss or feel those losses deeply at Christmas. On Wednesday, December 10^th at 7 pm in our sanctuary, Bethe and I will offer a reflective sacred service designed to embody both the challenge of this season and the hope God brings in the Christ child. Following the service, Shirley Zwicker will offer apple cider in the Sams Room, where supportive conversations and presence will take place. If you know someone who finds this season a tough time to feel the joy so many express, please invite them to join us. Typically, a service like this attracts 30 or so people, so this will be an intimate gathering.

The whole pace of the service is slow and allows for silent time. We will ponder our losses and be quiet before God. I find this prayer expresses the spirit of Blue Christmas…“You, O God, are with us and for us, in our constantly changing emotions, your love never changes. As we clash with the holly jolly Christmas, your Spirit calms us. As we dearly wish for the days before our loss, your Spirit comforts us. In those moments when it is difficult to feel anything at all, your Spirit gives us hope. In those days and weeks when we longed for life to feel good again, your Spirit would not let us go. And when we contrast our grief with the celebration of the holiday, your Spirit is ready to bring us peace. Eternal God, your love will never leave us, no, your love will never leave us. Amen.”

In the sermon portion of our gathering Bethe and I will engage in a three-way conversation about healing and hope. I will begin by sharing the healing agent I so often experience, namely sacred storytelling. Then Bethe will do likewise, referencing her training and passion for sacred touch. And then…we will invite you, sitting wherever you find yourself that night, to turn to the person sitting next to you and share your healing agent, what brings you a sense of hope, peace, joy and love.

I am convinced God instills in each of us agents of healing and hope, and in community, gives us Holy Conversations where we can discern what God is doing, in us, in others, at this time. As we listen to each other, we can share what each other is saying. So often we do not hear that still small voice in ourselves, but others can and do. Further, three sacred music offerings, unexpected and deeply appreciated, will be shared on this Holy Night. Together with the prayers, carols, and Spirit of Community we will embody Healing and Hope. Peace, Kevin