The Power of Presence

The past two weeks haven’t been the happiest or the most hopeful for me, so I’ve been trying more than usual to attune myself to God’s presence in my everyday life. Sometimes I get caught up in feeling like I’m just one small, insignificant person. What difference can one person make?

As I tuned my heart and mind toward the present moment this week, I found myself thinking more and more about the power of presence. I’ve been feeling it lately as I mourn the loss of Becki Shamblen. I didn’t realize how much I had come to anticipate seeing Becki several times a week around church. I got used to the sound of her footsteps back and forth from the sacristy, as I sat working alone in my office. I got used to bumping into her in the nave on a weekday and exchanging a few words. Would Becki have considered me a close friend? No, and that’s okay. But her loyalty to the altar guild, as well as several other ministries, became a source of encouragement for me. Her devotion to her faith strengthened mine.

I remember I felt it at the beginning of this year, too, after Bill Wilds retired. Bill used to appear in my office doorway, and not always because we had church business to take care of. Did Bill and I ever solve world peace in our workday conversations? No. But the joy he took in his service made me more joyful in doing mine.

Recently a neighbor of mine was going through a difficult time and sought my support. This is someone I see often but do not have a close relationship with. Somehow, though, in our short interactions, I became known to her as someone who was grounded in faith and someone she could trust. Apparently, just by just being myself, I had been a source of strength for someone without knowing it. The power of presence.

As we head into Advent in a couple weeks, we’ll all be able to ponder the power of presence: Immanuel, which means “God with us”. God came to earth as a baby. Babies are inherently helpless. What can a baby possibly do for a hurting, divided, violent world? As we celebrate Christmas and hear the stories of the groups of people who came to visit Jesus, we are reminded what it all started with: simply being there. The power of presence.

- Ginny Chilton