“Blue Christmas” at Holy Cross

Blue Christmas Worship Service – Sunday, December 11, 2016 7:30pm – 9pm

Holy Cross Lutheran Church is located at 29700 N St. Mary’s Road in Libertyville, Illinois, between highways 137 to the north and 176 to the south. Please visit their website for more general information – http://www.holycrosschurch.org/

For many, the holidays are an occasion to celebrate and enjoy rewarding moments together with loved ones, sharing meals, gift giving, worship and play. For others, the holidays are a time of distress. For individuals and families who have suffered significant losses, all the holiday cheer and celebration can be just too much. Many holiday gatherings and services can leave some feeling more alienated and alone, wondering, “what’s wrong with me that I cant even be happy at a celebration with friends and family?”

To address this dilemma, Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Libertyville holds its annual “Blue Christmas” service on Sunday, December 11, 2016 from 7:30-9:00 PM. The service, open to anyone from any faith background, is a warm and welcoming chance to gather with others who are in need of a place to honor their loss(es) and help find some perspective and peace during the holidays. The spectacular Holy Cross sanctuary is bathed in soft lights, with music (their world class pipe organ, piano, cello) and song for a service that is down to earth, reassuring and hopeful. The “Blue Christmas” honors our struggles with the passing of a loved one, loss of job, home, marriage or health – offering ample opportunities to quietly remember and reflect. Participants may choose to attach the name of a loved one to the “Jesse Tree,” light a candle, or place a stone in “holy water” as symbolic ways to acknowledge the continued importance of their loved ones, objects or relationships in their lives.

I attend this wonderful service every year. Some years it’s been a part of my healing from a significant loss. Other years, I have attended to support someone else who has needed to reconnect with his or her faith, with God, or with a sense of community after a difficult loss, disappointment or other heartache. I always find the service to be beautiful, meaningful and uplifting.

Please join me on this special night. You won’t regret it…

From the Heart,

Phil Kirschbaum, LCSW