Elvis Presley: “I’ll have a blue Christmas without you
I’ll be so blue just thinking about you
Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree
Won’t be the same dear, if you’re not here with me-”

What color do you think of for Christmas? Is it red, green, or maybe white? Bing Crosby singing White Christmas often comes to mind. The childhood desire to wake up to a snowy White Christmas was always on my wish list. Of course, growing up in North Texas, it was never a likely event. I do remember a big Christmas Eve snow and one time when it snowed heavily on Christmas Day. But for myself, the red and green combinations say Christmas more than any.

What about blue? It may not be one of the official Christmas colors, but there are times when it’s the only one that fits. Do you hear Elvis Presley singing Blue Christmas? To some, it may be just another sappy love song, but to a lot of folks, that song describes the feelings they have during Christmas. But if we express it too much, people won’t understand how we can feel anything other than joyful. After all, more money is spent on gifts, parties, and giving during the Christmas season than at any other time of the year. Therefore, you must be happy. And it is the time set aside to remember the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But as people, we are more than bright-colored lights, toys, and candy canes. While the fun of decorating and looking at the beauty people share with the world often reflects the joy of our hearts, other parts of life cast a shadow over the season.

If I may use a lot of metaphors, sometimes our hearts are more like the burned-out bulb on a long string of lights. It’s just one bulb, but it takes out the whole string and it seems like a monumental and frustrating task to find the problem. Maybe our life is feeling more like the disappointment of a child who didn’t get the toy they wanted. It seems frivolous, so we give a brave smile and pretend we are happy because we don’t feel we have the right to complain or feel down in our hearts. For others, it’s the broken candy cane. It’s still a candy cane, it tastes the same, but it is broken and we feel the same.

When we think about it, Jesus came into a broken, burned-out world filled with disappointment. Yet that child brought a healing touch to each of our hearts. It’s okay to not be okay. It is okay for Christmas to be colored blue. But I believe we still need time to celebrate, in a different kind of way, the coming of the one who heals our souls and gives us hope.

Even if everything is going perfectly well, a slower, more thoughtful service will add to your season of joy and celebration. Or maybe be there for someone you know.

On Wednesday, December 11th, we will celebrate (yes, celebrate) with a Blue Christmas service. Bring your burned-out bulb or broken candy cane and trade it in for the Hope, Love, Peace, and Joy of the great healer Jesus Christ. Nothing is too small or too big to leave behind at the altar of Christ—even if it is for a moment of peace and sanity in a very fast time.

Service begins at 6:00 p.m. I hope to see you here! And by the way, The Strings will be playing a bit of Merle Haggard that evening. You’ll have to be there, to find out what.

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

Pastor Rick