Blue Christmas Worship Service 

“Kathy” feels empty this Christmas season. She hears the music in the stores and she sees people joyfully getting ready for the holidays. To Kathy, it seems like she is on the outside looking in and that life is going on without her. In the past year her best friend died after a short illness. The suddenness of losing a person who was always there for her and with whom she shared a long history injected a continuing current of sadness into her life. Although the simple fact of passing time had helped her heal, the pain returned during the holidays. This year the fresh wound was added to the grief she had felt every Christmas for many years, when her father’s absence was especially pronounced.

The holidays can be a very difficult time for people who are grieving the death of a loved one, the death of a relationship, or even the death of pet. People who are grieving often feel they are in a bleak landscape while everyone around them is surrounded by light and warmth. The alienation can be overwhelming Other struggles in life can also make this season of celebration difficult—job loss, health struggles, mental health issues, loneliness.

A Blue Christmas worship service is unique in that it seeks to give space and time for loss in the midst of celebration. In this service, quiet songs and contemplative readings offer support and strength for the journey through the holiday season.

Minnehaha Communion Lutheran Church, at 4101 37th Ave. S., is sponsoring a Blue Christmas worship service on Sunday, December 21, at 7 pm. Lake Nokomis Presbyterian Church, at 1620 46th St., is also holding a Blue Christmas service on Thursday, December 18, at 6:30 pm., with the sanctuary open for meditation until 9 pm.