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

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dear Papa and Mama: A "Coming Out" Letter

Image
February 23, 2019 St. Louis, Missouri Dear Papa and Mama, Design of Papa and Mama's tombstone in Baguio City, Philippines There’s something in my heart and mind that I’ve been wanting to tell you for some time now. While there’ve been chances to do so, I’ve avoided them not knowing how you would take it. My sense is you probably knew it already but you, too, have avoided the conversation, not knowing how it will go. I know I should have had this talk with you before each of you passed away and I regret not being able to do that. But I am writing this letter anyway, hoping and praying that somehow, as you are now in the presence of God and in the company of that great cloud of witnesses, you would read this, and you would understand. If I were back home in the Philippines, I would go to your gravesite and read this to you. But for now, this will have to do. So here it goes: I’m writing this on the floor of the Dome in St. Louis. It is the first day of the Special Called Sessi...
Read more

But God Was Not In The Wind...

Image
This is the fourth day since General Conference 2016 adjourned. Many reflections have been offered since. I would like to add my voice to the mix.  After the sudden turn of events at the beginning of the second week of General Conference, this scripture came to me: He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13, NRSV) Elijah was on the run. He had just defeated 450 prophets of Baal i...
Read more

Blue Christmas Run... for those in the dark

Image
This Saturday, I will be running the Willow Solstice Marathon in Willow, Alaska for the third straight year. Last year, I did it as a prayer run, playing on the theme of it being held on the winter solstice, the longest night (or at least the Saturday closest to it) and dedicating the run to those who are in the "longest nights" of their lives. I plan to do that again this weekend. I am reposting excerpts from a blog post I wrote a year ago because my words then are still my words now as I again dedicate this run in prayer and solidarity for you who are living in darkness right now. +++ I am running the Willow Winter Solstice Marathon this Saturday. It will be another prayer run for me. This time, I'm running for those who can't. Let me explain. From its name, the Willow Marathon is held on a Saturday closest to the winter solstice, the day when the darkness is longest. In some churches, a Longest Night or Blue Christmas service is held and is specificall...
Read more