December 6, 2020
Blue Christmas Service
“What Are We to Say?”
Luke 1:26-38 Romans 8:31-32, 37-39
Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, oh God, our strength and our redeemer. AMEN
So, each year as I prepare the Blue Christmas service, I spend time reflecting on the past year. I think about those we lost in our church family. I think about all that has transpired in my own family. And I try to offer a word of comfort and hope during a season that can be difficult for many.
But this year, as we all know, has been a year like no other. To state the obvious, no one who is alive today has ever experienced anything quite like what we have experienced in the year 2020.
And so, in the words of Paul that we just heard Rev Tussing read from Romans, What then are we to say about these things?
Even during what we would call a “normal” year, the holidays can be difficult for many as we miss those who are no longer with us. Grief is a very complex emotion. And it’s very individual. Everyone grieves differently, and everyone deals with loss in their own way.
And now, add to that the collective grief we have experienced as a nation in these last months, and the grieving process becomes even more complex and multi-layered.
As we stood in this space at our Blue Christmas service one year ago, we never could have imagined the loss of life, loss of health, loss of livelihood, loss of so much by so many in the year 2020.
What then are we to say about these things?
I’m also very aware that many did not get the chance to honor and say good-bye to loved ones in the normal ways this past year. Families have been separated and isolated.
At DCC, we had several families who experienced the death of a loved one and either put off having a service for them, or chose a much smaller, family only service.
The importance of sacred rituals for saying good-bye cannot be overstated. They are vital parts of the journey of letting go. And so again, there are those additional layers added to our grief journeys.
My oldest sister, Cheryll, passed away in April and due to COVID concerns, my other sister, Kathy, and I were the only ones at her burial. Our hope is to have a graveside service for her in the future once it is safe to gather once again.
But for now, on this day, we find ourselves here, in the season of Advent, facing a holiday season that looks like no other.
What, then, are we to say about these things?
Allow me to offer some personal reflections on the questions Paul asks in Romans.
First, I believe it is not only OK, but it’s necessary, to name the realities around us. When something is awful, it’s OK to say it’s awful. That doesn’t mean we lack faith or belief. Naming painful realities can often be a first step in the healing process.
Second, I believe that self-care in these difficult times is vital. It is not selfish to be kind to ourselves. When we are kind to ourselves, we are better able to deal with everything else that is going on and better equipped to offer kindness and hope to others. I truly believe our loved ones would want us to find some peace and joy in these times.
And lastly, I take great comfort in Paul’s words in the passage from Romans. He asks the big questions, but then he answers them.
Paul asks, What then are we to say about these things? and he follows that question with these words:
If God is for us, who is against us?
Paul then goes on to ask:
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword?
And finally, Paul answers this question by saying,
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And so, my wish for us all as we move through these days of Advent is that we may find moments of peace and joy each day. May the memories of our departed loved ones offer us comfort.
And may the words of Paul offer us hope as we prepare to welcome the light of Christ into the world once again.
Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
AMEN