The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. (Isaiah 9:2)

There is reason to worry. In addition to our individual challenges there is war, economic disruption, and evidence of an extended period of profound climatic change.

Anxiety over all this obscures my engagement with the present and, probably, complicates an ability to make good choices regarding the future.

In the previous chapter the darkness of the land is described. But God urges Isaiah not to fear what is ephemeral.

For the Lord spoke thus to me while his hand was strong upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what it fears, or be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. (Isaiah 8:11-13)

The darkness is real. The pain is real. But it is not the only reality or the ultimate reality.

Rather than fear the darkness, reach out to the light. Rather than curse the darkness, call out to God.

By opening ourselves to the light of God we may brighten our own condition and that of our neighbors.

You may listen to the bass aria, The People who Walked in Darkness, performed by the Peabody Institute Symphony and Chorus.