Comfort and Joy Service. Tuesday, December 22, 2026. 6:00 p.m. Chapel. A service open to all who are experiencing grief. A time to see light in the midst of darkness.
We invite you to experience peace at this gentle Christmas service designed to comfort those who are mourning a loss of any kind. How do you relate when everything around you is festive and joyful, and you are feeling so very sad? The service is held in the intimate candlelit space of the Chapel and is led by The Rev. Louise Samuelson. Music will be in the style of Taizé.
I’ve now attended this service annually for the past three years as I’ve faced my wife’s prolonged descent with Alzheimer’s disease. Not an attempt at creating feel-good moments to warm one up before Christmas, this service squares off directly against the realities of loss, pain and grief. The memorable phrase from the homily does not weaken with time: God crawls into the dark with us, and a light has shone. And the darkness does not overcome it.
—Comfort and Joy past attendee
