Never Alone

Taking-off from Mile 6 - Photo by: West Gateway Trails
So I ran the Winter Solstice Marathon in Willow this past weekend. And like I said in my previous post, I was doing it as a prayer run. I was "running for those who can't." On the solstice, the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, I was running for those who are in the darkest times of their lives and longest nights of their souls.

 A colleague of mine said she felt the prayers. She even mentioned a specific time of the day when she felt it! I have also been getting emails and messages from friends, thanking me for running the dark path with them. 

On the eve of the race, I sent a text message to a friend with a link to my blogpost and the words: "I'll be running for you tomorrow." My friend texted back with a heartfelt message expressing thanks and ending with, "Now I know... I will never be alone." 

Now I know I will never be alone. Isn't that the good news of Christmas. Emmanuel. God is with us. We will never be alone.

I ran on Saturday with my running buddy, Stephen, his wife Marie who did the 5K and our friend Clare who ran the Half Marathon. It was a fun day with these three. I was not alone.

At Mile 22 - Photo by: David Johnston
It has been a year since I last ran a race with Stephen. In fact the 2013 version of this marathon was our last. And because my family and I have moved to another part of town, we haven't been running together as much as we did when we lived in Chugiak. Honestly, I've missed running with him and it's been lonely training alone. It was so great to run with Stephen again. And I sure was thankful he was there to pace me through those 28 snowy miles. I was not alone.

As we celebrate the birth of the Christchild, I pray that Emmanuel be a continuing reality for you. God is with us. God is with you. You will never be alone. Go forth and be a tangible expression of Emmanuel to everyone you meet.

Merry Christmas!

Carlo

Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 30, 2014 at 1:33 PM

    Greetings Rev. Carlo,
    I am a fellow runner and member of Homer UMC. I can agree with the points in your blog. I often run alone and use that time to meditate and pray. I know God is nearby and that he hears me. Distance running can be about so much more than physical exercise.
    Best wishes for 2015,
    Gary Lyon

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carlo A. Rapanut (he/him)January 13, 2015 at 1:06 PM

      Thank you, Gary! I look forward to meeting you when I come to Homer in February.

      Delete

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