A response for even the darkest of times
Proper 28B | Mark 13:1-8
Many years ago, I moved in with my Aunt and Uncle in Milton, Massachusetts to go to grad school in the city. I got out there about a week before school was set to start so I could go looking for a job, which was what I did that very first full day. There was a bus stop about a block away that could take me to the T, but I wanted to walk. It gave me greater control of my timing.
The T station was about a mile away, which is an easy enough walk. I wore a dress shirt and tie, slacks, and tennis shoes. It was precisely the kind of commuter wear I assumed was normal—and this was confirmed when I got to the station, where all sorts and conditions of people queued to ride the lightrail to link up with Boston’s subway system.
I was not surprised by the speed of things, I could match it easily, nor by the volume, because I had experience in cities before, and I considered that I best get used to it.
As I came up the steps from underground at the stop next to the Public Gardens and Downtown Crossing, my eyes were drawn up to the sky as the tallest buildings I had ever seen were surrounded by more of the tallest buildings I had ever seen. It was mesmerizing and confounding next to an enormous public park, and among them were curious, old breaks from enormity, like a tiny cemetery and Old North Church, holding space sacred, like sentries from the past ordered to hold back the passage of time. …
The full text may be found here.
For a limited time, you may find the audio here.