God showed up again today. I was early for a new devotional gathering and watched for the women who said they would be joining me. None of them came.
(photo taken from Memorial Park, Jacksonville, FL, as a storm rolled in from the west side)
I couldn’t help but notice three women huddled around a nearby picnic table, celebrating the arrival of a box of Krispy Kreme by diving in. I said hello and asked them if they’d like to have a little devotional time. They asked me if I wanted a donut. I joined them and made a bad joke about our feast being a particularly “holey” communion.
Two more ladies wandered over and, in fairly short order, we entered into a time of prayer. One woman asked if she could sing – bringing a musical gift that was an answer to prayer for this non-musically gifted priest.
We read from John, about the Samaritan woman at the well. We spoke of living water that can quench the most intense soul-thirst. And of that deep sense of hunger through which God calls us. We prayed for one another and for all who hunger and thirst. Then more song. And joy. Not a crazy, emotional, hyped-up joy but a deep sense of the goodness of God, of Love that is everlasting and available to all.
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Our discussion of the reading from John called to mind this beautiful psalm of lament from Ann Weems:
Come, Holy One,
feed to me a taste of your shalom.
Come, lift to my lips
a cup of cold water
that I might find my voice
to praise you
here in the pit.
Pull forth the hosannas
from my parched lips,
and I will sing to all
of your everlasting goodness,
for then the world will know that
my God is a God of promise
who comes to me
in my darkness.
–Ann Weems
(a portion of “Lament Psalm one”
from Psalms of Lament, p 4)
walkingwithclare 
Wow! This is real ministry! Thanks for sharing. Hugs, Fr. Bob Askren+
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Thanks, Father Bob! God is good>>>
Ya gotta watch out ! God’s liable to show up most any place! Good job going to the highways and byways . . .
Thanks, my friend.
You describe the scene beautifully… I could see it in my mind’s eye. What a tender communion of hearts!
Thanks for walking with me on Wednesday, dear Erin…