Peace Notes Winter 2018-19-Word of Peace Lutheran Church

Not Always a
Joyous Time
of Year
by Pastor Kristin Skare
A gentleman from our congregation approached me
last November and said, “Pastor Kristin, I have no desire
to decorate my tree or gather with family during
the holidays.” This man had recently experienced
hearing his wife’s doctor deliver the news that there
was nothing more she could do for his wife’s cancer.
Everywhere people were celebrating the season and
he saw no joy. He had no desire to celebrate because
the news he received would change his life. I
told him he was not alone and that we had a special
worship service for people who needed a different
place to be during the holidays. A place where people
could gather who understood that not everyone
feels like celebrating.
The Christmas season can be difficult for people who
are experiencing the end of a relationship, a death of
a loved one, unemployment, living away from family,
financial hardship, depression, loneliness, a miscarriage,
a family crisis, or illness. Grief is the conflicting
feelings caused by the end of or change in a familiar
pattern of behavior. The good news is that the promise
of Christmas is not held in the celebrations, but in
the transformational news that God became
flesh. This word, this flesh, is Jesus who lives and
moves among us and knows our suffering. The
Christmas message is “God with us.”
Promises of Hope is a worship service designed to
be a comforting place to worship and pray when you
don’t feel like celebrating the holiday season. It’s a
time to hear that God is with you, to light a candle,
and to gather in community where you will see that
you are not alone. We invite anyone who is having a
difficult time this holiday season to attend “Promises
of Hope.” For more information, please contact Pastor
Kristin Skare at kskare@wordofpeace.org or (763)
496-2404.
Promises of Hope
Christmas Worship
for those experiencing loss and heartache
Tuesday, December 18 | 6:30 PM
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