The Longest Night
There is an Advent tradition within Western Christianity of inviting people to come together for the Longest Night, a night around the time of the Winter Solstice, when there are more hours of darkness than light. It’s a time to come together for prayers and tears and grief, to weep bitterly for the losses and hurts and deaths of the year and for the general crap in our own lives, as well as for our country and our world.
Known also as “Blue Christmas” a longest night gathering is also a time to come together to share anguish. And to plead with God to remember us, even to hope against hope, pray, with hearts broken that “God will set things right all over the earth.” (1 Samuel 1:10).
