美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Blue Christmas' Services Offer Alternative Refuge From Holiday Cheer

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Winter solstice today, the longest night of the year. And across the country, some churches offer Blue Christmas services, setting aside the tinsel and acknowledging the darkness. Deena Prichep reports from Portland, Ore.

DEENA PRICHEP, BYLINE¹: Carolyn Nelson's husband died 15 years ago. And she misses him, especially around the holidays.

CAROLYN NELSON: You know, that's someone I celebrated² with. And when that's gone, you feel lost. It can be a hard time for people.

PRICHEP: And it's even harder when the world is full of songs and presents and family gatherings³.

NELSON: Because you're supposed to be happy and joyful⁴. And, of course, I do lots of fun things. But there's just a little bit that's missing.

PRICHEP: So six or seven years ago, Nelson started attending the Longest Night service at her Episcopal church. Also called Blue Christmas, these services are usually held on the solstice, though some, like here at Portland's First Congregational Church, are a bit earlier.

JANET PARKER: We hope that you will find this a moment of light in darkness.

PRICHEP: The format⁵ varies from church to church, but the common theme is dropping the usual merry and bright and recognizing the hard stuff. People offer prayers and light candles and open up to the sadness they're carrying about loss, relationships, addiction⁶. That's what Pastor⁷ Christy Dirren does at West Portland United Methodist Church.

CHRISTY DIRREN: We acknowledge these things are tough. But you're not going through it alone.

PRICHEP: At her service, people write down things they're struggling with. And then everyone's invited to grab some of these notes, literally⁸ lifting someone else's burden, and hang them on the church garland.

DIRREN: And it's not putting our sorrow on display. It is inviting⁹ us to remember that it's all part of the experience.

BEN STEWART: So there's this sense at Christmas that God's own self identifies with that kind of aloneness and comes to be with people.

PRICHEP: Ben Stewart teaches worship at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He says that in the calendar of 2,000 years ago, December 25 was the solstice, the actual longest night. Stewart says these are environmental realities - it's cold and dark - and theological realities - how to acknowledge the darkness and the fragile light.

STEWART: How do we hold together the kind of wonder at a little infant child and still make sure that we're challenging the Herods of the world who would oppress children?

PRICHEP: Stewart says all of us will be touched by darkness, if we're not living it right now. And if you look at the Christmas story, full of joyful promise, the darkness is there as well.

STEWART: I think about the hymn¹⁰ that was popularized by Mahalia Jackson, "Sweet Little Jesus Boy." The world treats you mean, Lord. Treats me mean, too. But that's how things are down here.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SWEET LITTLE JESUS BOY")

MAHALIA JACKSON: (Singing) But that's how things are down here.

STEWART: At its deepest level, I think the Christmas gospels tell the story of God's entrance into this world from the underside. And when all of us gather there together and the marginalized are in the center, that's the promise of Christmas.

PRICHEP: Stewart says that to realize this promise, Christians¹¹ need liturgies¹² and theologies deep enough to hold the darkness, the blues¹³ alongside the Christmas joy. But, he says, it's a deep, hopeful, midnight blue, one that has us looking toward the dawn.

For NPR News, I'm Deena Prichep in Portland, Ore.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SILENT NIGHT")

JACKSON: (Singing) Silent night, holy night.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

4 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

5 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

6 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

7 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

8 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

9 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

10 hymn   

n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌

参考例句：

• They sang a hymn of praise to God.他们唱着圣歌，赞美上帝。
• The choir has sung only two verses of the last hymn.合唱团只唱了最后一首赞美诗的两个段落。

11 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

12 liturgies   

n.礼拜仪式( liturgy的名词复数 )；（英国国教的）祈祷书

参考例句：

• Politicians recite their liturgies in TV studios. 政客们在电视演播室里朗诵祷文。 来自互联网
• The Martyrium was a five nave basilica terminatedapse and a and festive liturgies were celebrated. 殉道者大殿是全部五大殿之一，一直通到另一个圆秃型的神殿人员公署。 来自互联网

13 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。