Each of us carries a treasure chest with us containing the memories, values, hopes, fears, and numerous other life experiences that make us who we are. Can we offer those treasures to God just as the Magi offered theirs?

Even if we can't do everything, we can all do something. Let's do what we can do and stop worrying about the rest.

Faith is not something we just stand aside and watch happen to others. It requires a response, for us to do something about the love we have experienced, not during one season, but all the time.

One of the names for the Messiah is Emmanuel which means God with us. God was certainly with us in the person of Jesus, but God is also with us today and yearns for our presence as well.

Sometimes we can experience Gods presence in another person, as Mary does in Elizabeth. Also, we may be the presence of God for another person, as Elizabeth is for Mary. In either case we have to be aware of Gods presence for us and in us.

Dont be afraid the angel tells Mary. To encounter the presence of God in any form (even a messenger) may lead us into places we never intended or wanted to go. Even so, dont be afraid.