The world tells us December should sparkle. The lights, the music, the relentless cheer—it all insists that this is the most wonderful time of the year.
But what if it isn’t? What if this season finds you carrying grief, navigating loss, or simply exhausted by expectations you can’t meet? What if the forced joy feels more like pressure than comfort?
On Sunday, December 14th at 5:00 PM, we’re gathering for our Blue Christmas Service—a quiet, honest space for those who need permission to acknowledge that even in Advent, life continues with all its complications.
This service has become deeply meaningful in our community because it makes room for truth. The truth that Christmas can be hard when you’re missing someone who should be at the table. The truth that financial stress doesn’t pause for the holidays. The truth that family gatherings can be fraught. The truth that sometimes you’re just tired, and the relentless cultural insistence on happiness feels like one more thing you’re failing at.
You are not failing. And you are not alone.
The Blue Christmas Service offers something different from our regular celebrations. The music is contemplative. The prayers acknowledge struggle. The silence makes space for what you’re actually feeling instead of what you think you should feel. There’s no pressure to perform joy you don’t have.
This is not a service of despair—it’s a service of honest hope. The kind of hope that doesn’t deny darkness but trusts that light still comes. The kind of hope that doesn’t require you to pretend everything is fine but meets you exactly where you are.
If this season feels heavy, you’re welcome here. If you’re grieving, anxious, lonely, or simply worn out—you’re welcome here. If you know someone who might need this kind of space, invite them. Sometimes the greatest gift we can offer is permission to not be okay.
Join us Sunday, December 14th at 5:00 PM for a service that holds space for the full range of human experience during the holidays. Bring your honest heart. We’ll meet you there.
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church is located at 9549 Highland Drive in Brecksville. Questions? Contact our office at (440) 526-9865 or officemanager05@gmail.com.
Leave a Reply