We worry. Theologian Howard Thurman writes: “The streets of our minds seethe with endless traffic; our spirits resound with clashings, with noisy silences.”

And the questions persist: “what are we doing with our lives? Where are we trying to go? For what end do we make sacrifices? To what am I true?”

Hard questions in hard times. But as a Christian community, we have resources to guide our lives and instill hope to settle our anxieties.

The season of Advent reminds us that “God is with us” – Emmanuel. God chooses to dwell within each one of us. What a powerful belief! And one that can change the lives of those near to us.

In 2008, Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams preached on Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth. “Mary appears to us here as the first missionary: the first human being to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to another. And she does it simply by carrying Christ within her. She reminds us that mission begins not in delivering a message in words but in the journey towards another person with Jesus in your heart.”

The journey towards another person with Jesus in your heart.
Yes, it begins with you and with me. Like Mary, we are pregnant with possibilities, hope, and transformation. So how can we transform lives – our own and our neighbors?

Poet Mary Oliver writes:
Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up. And took my old body
And went out into the morning, and sang.

Emmanuel. God is with us. “Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near…And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7).

-Mark Arcemont