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| “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” ― |
Love.
Last night was our “Blue Christmas” service.
If you are unfamiliar with such a service, this description
might be helpful:
Welcome to this “Blue Christmas” service. For some, memories of
past experiences and the pain of present experiences and situations can become
overwhelming. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or New Year’s Eve can be tough and a reminder of the challenges in our lives. In this service, we
invite you to listen. We invite you to pray. We invite you to sing. We invite
you to meditate upon the pain and anguish you may bring—and we invite you to
offer your pain to the Christ child. And we trust that you will find hope and comfort
in knowing that you are not alone.
In his book, The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck
says the most considerable risk we can take is to love someone. It takes vulnerability,
honesty, and courage. It also takes humility.
Love is beautiful. But it is also, well, challenging.
Last night we had the space to name the loss of love.
I love this poem by Mary Oliver.
“The
Uses of Sorrow” (from The Bar Method):
Someone I loved once gave me
a box full of darkness.
It took me years to understand
that this, too, was a gift.
Love.
It is a gift. Even when it is lost, unrequited, or
celebrated.
It is beautiful. Whether it celebrated on Valentine’s Day or
lamented on Blue Christmas, love moves. Love is the only thing that chases the
darkness away. Love is paradoxical. It also never fails.
Love is coming.
Get ready.
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