Winter Solstice: Blessing for the Longest Night
By Jan Richardson
Longest Night © Jan L. Richardson
This week, in addition to preparing for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services, many congregations will offer a “Longest Night” or “Blue Christmas” service. Usually held on or near the Winter Solstice, this gathering provides a space for those who are having a difficult time during the holidays or simply need to acknowledge some pain or loss they are carrying in the midst of this season of celebration. For you who are offering or participating in such a service, and for all who struggle in this season, I wish you many blessings and pray for the presence of Christ our Light, who goes with us in the darkness and in the day.
Blessing for the Longest Night
All throughout these months
as the shadows
have lengthened,
this blessing has been
gathering itself,
making ready,
preparing for
this night.
as the shadows
have lengthened,
this blessing has been
gathering itself,
making ready,
preparing for
this night.
It has practiced
walking in the dark,
traveling with
its eyes closed,
feeling its way
by memory
by touch
by the pull of the moon
even as it wanes.
walking in the dark,
traveling with
its eyes closed,
feeling its way
by memory
by touch
by the pull of the moon
even as it wanes.
So believe me
when I tell you
this blessing will
reach you
even if you
have not light enough
to read it;
it will find you
even though you cannot
see it coming.
when I tell you
this blessing will
reach you
even if you
have not light enough
to read it;
it will find you
even though you cannot
see it coming.
You will know
the moment of its
arriving
by your release
of the breath
you have held
so long;
a loosening
of the clenching
in your hands,
of the clutch
around your heart;
a thinning
of the darkness
that had drawn itself
around you.
the moment of its
arriving
by your release
of the breath
you have held
so long;
a loosening
of the clenching
in your hands,
of the clutch
around your heart;
a thinning
of the darkness
that had drawn itself
around you.
This blessing
does not mean
to take the night away
but it knows
its hidden roads,
knows the resting spots
along the path,
knows what it means
to travel
in the company
of a friend.
does not mean
to take the night away
but it knows
its hidden roads,
knows the resting spots
along the path,
knows what it means
to travel
in the company
of a friend.
So when
this blessing comes,
take its hand.
Get up.
Set out on the road
you cannot see.
this blessing comes,
take its hand.
Get up.
Set out on the road
you cannot see.
This is the night
when you can trust
that any direction
you go,
you will be walking
toward the dawn.
[Update: Thanks to everyone who has
contacted me to ask for permission to use this blessing for a Longest
Night/Blue Christmas service. If you'd like to use "Blessing for the
Longest Night" in a service, I'd be delighted for you to do so; simply
include this credit line:when you can trust
that any direction
you go,
you will be walking
toward the dawn.
© Jan Richardson. janrichardson.com
No need to write me for permission, though I would be pleased to hear where you're using it. If you'd like to use the artwork, please scroll down to the end of this post for info. Many thanks!]
P.S. For previous reflections on the Winter Solstice, click the images or titles below:
Winter Solstice: The Moon Is Always Whole
Door 21: Blue Plate Special
Solstice: A Woman in Winter
(From my Sanctuary of Women blog)
[To use the "Longest Night" image, please visit this page at janrichardsonimages.com. Your use of janrichardsonimages.com helps make the ministry of The Advent Door possible. Thank you!]
Jan Richardson
I am a writer, artist, United Methodist minister, and director of a
company called The Wellspring Studio, LLC, which serves as an umbrella
for all the writer/artist/minister stuff plus a few other things
besides. My favorite projects are those that intertwine words and
images. When folks ask me where The Wellspring Studio is, I say,
wherever I am, there it is… You can pay a virtual visit to the studio at
janrichardson.com; I would love for you to stop by.
The Advent Door is a blog I’m writing during the weeks leading up to Christmas. The rest of the year, you can find me at my other blog, The Painted Prayerbook.
