Keep the Faith: 'Blue Christmas' and 'The Longest Night'

As the cards, decorations and goodies of this season become abundant around us, I always remember my grandmother’s sugar cookies. She made, in my humble opinion, the best sugar cookies. They were soft and had the most delicious frosting on them. Each year, my brother and I looked forward to the arrival of the tins and containers which held these seasonal favorites. As an adult now, I strive every Christmas season to duplicate these sugary delights (and every Christmas season, they are just not quite the same).

Each year at this time, I remember those cookies. And each year, I remember my grandmother, who passed away 9 years ago in 2013. When I remember her, her love, and the good times we shared, I smile. When I remember her, I also feel sorrow swell up inside of me. I miss her and this time of year, when her cookies come to the forefront of my mind, I feel that tug of sadness that she is not with us this Christmas. My mind then wanders to the Christmases before she passed, but after she lost her son in 2007. Christmas was never the same for her. Sure, she still made the cookies we looked forward to, but Christmas had changed when she buried a child.

This time of year can be so very complicated. Many of the sights and sounds around us seem to call us to be happy and they can often leave us feeling that if we are not happy all the time, that something within us is lacking. This could not be further from the truth.

For you see, the love of God incarnate in Jesus, whose birth Christians celebrate at Christmas, entered a hurting world. Jesus did not come in the midst of the happiest of times and he did not come only for the happy. In fact, when you hear his Sermon on the Mount, we are reminded of his special care and attention to the poor in spirit, to those who mourn, to those who are seeking good in an unjust world. When we reflect on his ministry, we see how he came to be with those cast aside, to be with the sick, and the lonely. Even when we reflect throughout the season of Advent on the prophecies of Isaiah which many Christians see as connecting to Jesus, we remember that Isaiah, who spoke of Immanuel, of a little child to lead us toward peace, of a wonderful counselor to come, he was sharing these hope-filled words with a people who were being oppressed by rebellious leaders.

The point to all of this is, even if this time of year is not a happy one for you, the Christmas message is for you too (perhaps even more so)! Maybe it is a first year without a dear one by your side or perhaps this time of year holds a particular trauma which is triggered by the festivities of it all. Maybe you look around at the state of our world and just don’t fell in “the Christmas spirit.” Maybe you are experiencing financial hardships, food or housing insecurities, or some other basic need that is not being met in a comforting way. Perhaps it is something different completely or maybe you are just not feeling “it” this year, for whatever reason. The Christmas message of hope, peace, joy, and love is there for you too. Not to necessarily make your sorrow go away, but to accompany you through it. The knowledge that God loved us so much is there to help us through the hard times. Knowing that Jesus, the light of the World, came in the midst of darkness, tells us that we are not left alone in the challenges of life.

For all of these reasons and more, some churches will hold “Blue Christmas” or “Longest Night” services at some point in December. These services are there to name the struggles which many hold in this season and that can be a beautiful thing. Still, may we all know, that the gifts of hope, peace, joy, and love remembered in Advent are for us all, whether we are happy, sad, or a little bit of both. The candlelight and silent night of Christmas Eve is for us, whether we are comfortable, struggling, or somewhere in between. And the dawn of Christmas Day is for us, no matter where we find ourselves on life’s journey. For the one whose birth we soon celebrate came for the hurting, the lost, and the forsaken. Jesus came for us, just as we are. So, Christmas is for us too, just as we are.

Rev. Josh Fitterling is the Pastor of the First Congregational Church in Worcester, a member congregation of the United Church of Christ, a denomination of extravagant welcome.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Keep the Faith: 'Blue Christmas' and 'The Longest Night'