Tuesday, December 18, 2007
having a blue christmas?
Amid the joy of Christmas can be pain and sadness, as we remember absent family, difficult circumstances, or the death of loved ones. You are welcome to attend our Blue Christmas service, Wednesday, 19th December, 7:30 pm, Opawa Baptist Church foyer, cnr Hastings and Wilsons.
The service will take time to remember those we love. It will use recorded music and prayers, silence and symbols, to affirm that Emmanuel God-with-us cares and loves us in our “blue” times.
Posted by steve at 02:09 PM
)
this is beautiful. what a great idea.
Comment by joe — December 19, 2007 @ 5:57 am
I agree, its a really good idea. There’s often an expectation to feel/be ‘Merry’ at Christmas and when you’re ‘blue’ you can feel quite alienated from the celebrating church. Thumbs up Steve & the Opawa team, Jack
Comment by Jack — December 19, 2007 @ 5:34 pm
This is a fantastic ministry. I only just came across it when a friend decided to hold one with several other churches in his area. It went really well. We have a lot of people who would benefit from such a service and we might do it next year. I think it is true incarnational ministry at Christmas!
Comment by mark — December 20, 2007 @ 12:47 pm
I think many people need to be with others for various reasons during the holidays. God didn’t mean for us to be alone or by ourselves all the time, though society has gone in that direction as we “evolved” here in the USA.
I’m not sure we’ve “evolved” all that much here since I think it’s become a more isolating society here in many ways.I know in the states many people have become well “self centered”. It just about them and their families.
I think in some ways we are an idiosyncratic society so reading this lighten my cynical mood at the moment in that area. And I hope others think to invite them to be with them in their homes too. It beautiful to see hands reaching out to others. Offering a beacon of light, hope or joy is never wrong.
I don’t know where I’ll be Christmas Eve, but I know God is always with me during, “rain, shine, sleet or snow,” of our lives. No wait— that’s the mail mans greed here in the states (trying to interject a bit of humor).
No, sadly I know many lonely people and I think about those people a lot. But truthfully He’s in our hearts wherever you go… always. But fellowship with others is an essential element to survival in this world in my opinion only.
Blessing to your Steve as you have one of the difficult jobs of all to to facillate that and touch lives with God words. In a way you job calls for you to give yourself away and that isn’t easy. I admire you.
I always observe a lot of talkers and few do’ers in many things in this life.
Kim:):):)
Comment by Kim — December 21, 2007 @ 1:32 am