One of my favorite things as a child was to hear stories about my parents when they were growing up. How did they play with friends? What was their school like? And one of my favorite things to hear about was how they celebrated holidays, especially Christmas. This time of year brings up memories for many of us. Whether traditions for celebrating or food that is enjoyed, so many things are tied to memory, people, and places. Sometimes they are joyful memories and sometimes not. We recognize the broad range of emotions these memories invoke for us.
Thus, this season we offer room for emotions of grief, feelings of loss, or the sense of loneliness in our Blue Christmas service on December 22. We pray this space will be restful affirm God’s embrace of us as we are.
We also will celebrate the joyous parts of the season in our worship on Christmas day. As we focus on the Christmas theme of “there is room for God,” we will invite the congregation (that is you!) to share favorite memories of Christmas. Both those joining us in person and on Zoom will be able to share. What is your favorite Christmas memory?
I look forward to being with you as we continue our way through the Advent and Christmas season.
Blessings,