Longest Night (Blue Christmas) Worship

December often calls us to joy, even when our hearts feel heavy. Many people enter this season carrying grief or pain that doesn’t match the lights and music around us. That’s why Trinity Lutheran, First United Methodist, and First Presbyterian are coming together to offer a Longest Night (or Blue Christmas) service.  This is space to bring what is real, not what is expected.

Held near the winter solstice, the service leans into the symbolism of the year’s longest night. We gather quietly, name what hurts, listen to scripture that speaks to weary people, and light candles as acts of gentle trust. The pace is slower, the atmosphere softer, and the honesty itself becomes a kind of relief.

What makes this service uplifting is not forced cheerfulness—it’s the way hope rises when we make room for truth. God meets us in our grief and sits with us in our questions. Even in the longest night, light is already on its way.

If you will grieve an empty seat at the table this holiday (whether empty months, years or decades) or are feeling pain as you approach Christmas, please please join us on Sunday, December 21 at 4:00 p.m. at First United Methodist Church.  All are welcome—especially those who need a quieter, gentler kind of Christmas hope this year.