Blue Christmas - A Worship Service of Endings and Beginnings

Name: Blue Christmas - A Worship Service of Endings and Beginnings
Start: 2024-12-18T18:00:00-05:00
Location: Allendale UMC - St. Petersburg

Schedule

Wed, 18 Dec, 2024 at 06:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Allendale UMC - St. Petersburg | Saint Petersburg, FL

Following a potluck dinner at 5 PM in the Community Center, we will gather at 6 PM in the Sanctuary for an evening Worship Service, making space for difficult emotions during the holiday season, particularly grief around endings and anxiety around new beginnings. Anyone is welcome to attend both the potluck dinner and this service. You're invited to bring a side dish or dessert to the dinner, or just bring yourself. This service will also be live-streamed on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Seasons:
For the seasons past that brought us joy,
The ones we miss, longing in our hearts,
Let our memories cradle us gently,
Comforting, not piercing with pain.
For the tender seasons marked by ache,
The chapters that left us raw and bruised,
May we find release, a healing tide,
And bury what no longer serves.
For the fresh starts that spark delight,
New paths that shimmer with promise bright,
Let us step forward, steady and sure,
Embracing the unknown with open hearts.
For the shifting times that stir unease,
The future cloaked in uncertain haze,
May we walk with peace, calm and steady,
Charting our course with courage renewed.
All that we feel—our grief, our pain,
Our joy, our fears, our anxious brain—
Is the tapestry of human life,
Woven with love, hope, and sometimes strife.
(Poem inspired by the liturgy by Rev. Anna Strickland, A Sanctified Art LLC)