Chances are good when you saw the title a song filtered through your mind. Harry Nilson, the writer, sure wrote truth in those lyrics. I found an article dated May 8, 2014 which said Britain was the loneliest capital in the world. It also said more young people suffer from loneliness than those over 55. It is linked to increased stress, depression, paranoia, anxiety, addiction, cognitive decline and is a known factor in suicide.

We all know people who are lonely…and lonely for different reasons. What is it like to be abandoned? I can remember the panic Jo & I felt when we turned around and our oldest daughter was gone. They found her at the other end of the mall looking for us because she couldn’t find us and had heard we were going to go to a certain store. Trust me when I say she (and us) was scared.

One is a lonely number. No one wants to be alone. He was thinking of His mother when he looked at John and said, “Behold, your mother.” But then the spotlight turns on Him when He experiences something He had never experienced before: separation from His Father. “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

A-L-O-N-E. For the first time ever. This wasn’t a whimper either; it was a guttural scream. Estrangement. ONE.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but in every respect has been tempted as we are, but without sin.” Heb.4:15 (ESV)

There you go. Never alone. He understands.

My sermon Sunday is on the two referenced incidents while Jesus was on the cross. Thanks for your prayers.