I am a little embarrassed to admit but I’ve never heard of the celebration of Blue Christmas. It is usually held on the longest night of the year, or the last Sunday before Christmas. In a season of light and hope it acknowledges the reality of life with it’s trials and losses over the preceding year that weigh heavily on many hearts. Traditionally the focus is on lost loved ones. It doesn’t deny the season’s promise of light and hope but it allows room to grieve.

    After this past year it seems to me a good idea to take time to remember those we lost who were close to us. 

    The art work I created here shows a refugee couple walking down Duke Street in Lancaster. It may not seem to fit the theme of Blue Christmas. To me, however, they are coming from a place of great sorrow and moving forward together in faith for a new future. The city of Lancaster has been considered by some the unofficial capital for welcoming refugees in the United States. Churches and organizations in Lancaster have been accepting and helping refugees for decades, long before it was on most of our radars.