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Grieving while the rest of the world goes on is difficult at anytime, but especially during Christmas with its sparkles, tinsel, cheerful cards, hot cocoa and ever-present holly jolly man in the red suit. In the past, the Blue Christmas service offered space for me to grieve, resting in the arms of our loving God and acknowledging the depth of loss in my life. At Blue Christmas services, I’ve brought my whole self, pain and all. And I’ve left knowing that God is with me in my loss, and that hope for a new tomorrow is always present.
I thought I knew grief. Yet experiencing the death of my husband and partner-in-all-things for nearly 34 years has been significantly different. Grief has taken up residence. It is a palpable presence in my life.
Yes, I’ll be at a Blue Christmas service again this year. We will sit in darkness. We will grieve the death of loved ones, the demise of dreams, the loss of meaningful work, the violence and suffering in our world. We will come seeking peace, and the One who was, who is and who is to come will be with us. There, in the depths of our emptiness, the Holy Spirit will bring the light of Christ.
This message is excerpted from “I thought I knew grief.” by Linda Post Bushkofsky in the November/December 2023 Gather magazine.