the church of the
ascension
in the city of
new york
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Saturday, March 7
Psalm 139:1-17 / Hebrews 5:1-10 / John 4:1-26
As a child in Texas, I was an acolyte at my parish on the far side of town. Often after having served the 6 p.m. mass, I waited in a desolate parking lot alone under the one wooden lamppost.
But after about 15 minutes I didn't like this "aloneness." So this song came to mind from Glory and Praise, "Yahweh, I know you are near. Standing always at my side. You guard me from the foes, and you lead me in ways everlasting."
That was my first realization that I could never be alone. Singing that song in my head, I began to sense the presence of God around and within me. I still sing it today on occasion — when I want to honor that presence in the stillness of my surroundings — or when I'm just scared!
At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus' commencement into "aloneness" is girded by God's revelation that this is his son — and blessed on a mission. We continue in that legacy as sons and daughters of God.
In the reading about the Samaritan woman. Jesus, alone, approaches a perfect stranger. The Samaritan is not one of his "associates" yet she is familiar. He invites her to recognize the fact that she, too, is not alone. She is not alone in her sin. She is not alone in her struggles. And, as he is not alone on his journey, neither is she.
As we struggle along during Lent, may we remember we are never alone in our "aloneness." We have a companion in Jesus and the support and love of our God.
— Robert Brown
As a child in Texas, I was an acolyte at my parish on the far side of town. Often after having served the 6 p.m. mass, I waited in a desolate parking lot alone under the one wooden lamppost.
But after about 15 minutes I didn't like this "aloneness." So this song came to mind from Glory and Praise, "Yahweh, I know you are near. Standing always at my side. You guard me from the foes, and you lead me in ways everlasting."
That was my first realization that I could never be alone. Singing that song in my head, I began to sense the presence of God around and within me. I still sing it today on occasion — when I want to honor that presence in the stillness of my surroundings — or when I'm just scared!
At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus' commencement into "aloneness" is girded by God's revelation that this is his son — and blessed on a mission. We continue in that legacy as sons and daughters of God.
In the reading about the Samaritan woman. Jesus, alone, approaches a perfect stranger. The Samaritan is not one of his "associates" yet she is familiar. He invites her to recognize the fact that she, too, is not alone. She is not alone in her sin. She is not alone in her struggles. And, as he is not alone on his journey, neither is she.
As we struggle along during Lent, may we remember we are never alone in our "aloneness." We have a companion in Jesus and the support and love of our God.
— Robert Brown
