Welcome to This Place, Just as You Are: For a Blue Christmas or Longest Night

Welcome to this place, just as you are. Welcome to this worship. May you take from it a tiny piece of something you need.

All around us, lights are lit and carols play. The season heaps expectation of joy upon us. Yet, we may also be aware of how different life has been this year. The expectation of a “normal” Christmas season is not our reality.

We come here with all of our stories, our lived experiences, our struggles.
We carry the weight of loss, worry, grief, and pain.
We come weary, seeking rest from expectations.

We also seek a holy presence to be with us.
We come to this place, to be held in the resilient grace of God, to be embraced by the Love that never lets go.

Jamie Miller, First U.C., Dryden, Ont.