Advent Wreath Liturgy: Blue Christmas

Here’s a candle-lighting liturgy for use at a Blue Christmas or Longest Night service.  It was written by Rick Marshall.

A Liturgy of Remembering: Blue Christmas

The first candle we light

is to remember those whom we have loved and lost.

We pause to remember their name, their face, their voice,

the memory that binds them to us in this season.

(Pause while the first candle is lit)

May God’s eternal love surround them.

The second candle we light

is to redeem the pain of loss,

the loss of someone who was very important to us,

part of our lives, part of our own selves.

We pause to gather up the pain of the past and offer it to God,
asking that from God’s hands we receive the gift of peace.

(Pause while the second candle is lit)

Refresh, restore, renew us O God, and lead us into your future.

The third candle we light

is to remember ourselves this Christmas time.
We pause and remember these past weeks and months,

the disbelief, the anger, the down times,

the poignancy of reminiscing,

the hugs and handshakes of family and friends,
all those who stood with us.

We give thanks for all the support we have known.

(Pause while the third candle is lit)

Let us remember that dawn defeats darkness, life overcomes death.

The fourth candle is lit

to remember our faith and the gift of hope

which the Christmas story offers to us.

We remember that God, who shares our life,

promises us a place and time of no more pain and suffering.

(Pause while the fourth candle is lit)

Let us remember the One who shows the way,
Who brings the truth and who bears the light.

(The Christ candle will remain unlit as a sign of waiting for a future
that is yet unknown to us, from which God beckons us)

— written by Rick Marshall in Blue Christmas: A Service of Remembrance for the Time of Advent and Christmas.  Posted on the Process and Faith website. http://processandfaith.org/resources/liturgy/blue-christmas