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This is our 2025 Blue Christmas (sometimes called Longest Night) service, held on the evening of December 7, 2025, a quiet, contemplative worship gathering for those who find the Christmas season difficult.

Christmas is often portrayed as “the most wonderful time of the year,” but for many of us it can be one of the hardest. Whether you are grieving the death of a loved one, facing broken relationships, struggling with illness, job loss, loneliness, depression, or simply carrying the weight of a painful year, this service is for you.

Tonight we acknowledge that joy and sorrow can coexist. We do not rush past the pain or pretend it isn’t there. Instead, we bring our hurts into the gentle light of Christ, trusting that the One who was born in the dark of a Bethlehem stable is still Emmanuel—God with us—in the darkest places of our lives.

What to expect in this service:

  • A welcoming, no-pressure atmosphere (cry, sit silently, pray—whatever you need is okay)
  • Scripture readings that speak honestly about darkness and God’s presence in it
  • Five candles of remembrance honoring:
    • Loved ones we have lost
    • Dreams, health, jobs, or security we have lost
    • The old selves we no longer recognize
    • Our hurting world
    • The gift of Hope—Jesus, the Light no darkness can overcome
  • Moments of silence for personal reflection
  • Congregational hymns:
    • “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”
    • “The Solid Rock”
    • “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (multiple verses after each candle)
  • An opportunity to bring forward a blue card with a name or situation you wish to release to God

Key Scriptures shared:

  • John 1:1-5 – “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
  • Psalm 139:7-12 – “Even the darkness is not dark to you…”
  • Isaiah 9:2, 6 – “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light…”

If you are hurting this Christmas, you are not alone. God meets us exactly where we are, and this community holds space for both tears and hope.

You are welcome to stay in the quiet as long as you need. Refreshments and caring conversation are available afterward in the fellowship hall—no obligation to speak if you’d rather simply be present.

Wherever you are this Christmas, may the light of Christ hold you gently.

Mount Pleasant Methodist Church
Vancleave, MS
Website: https://mtpleasantgmc.org/