Quiet Christmas

A service for those for whom Christmas will not be 'very merry', but overshadowed by mixed feelings, pain, loneliness and grief

Christmas is traditionally a time of gladness and celebration, a time when families gather together for parties and merriment.

But for those grieving the loss of loved ones, or whose family circumstances are difficult, it can be a very lonely, depressing, time. Somehow isolation is more painful when it seems that all the rest of the world is celebrating.

While the birth of the Christ child is rightly an event for joyful celebration, a quieter service, which acknowledges that not everyone is looking forward to Christmas and the New Year, can offer some people a way of honouring their mixed feelings at this special time. This liturgy offers prayers, Scripture and music that acknowledge God's presence in the lives of those who mourn, and with those who struggle - and that God's Word comes to shine light into the darkest places of life. It is an attempt to engage these people, who are often on the fringes of the church community, in the churches' response to the coming of the Saviour. We recognise that it will need adapting to different contexts.

Download the liturgy here: Quiet Christmas (MS Word format)