Refresh at Home: Birthing God into the World
And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
Mary’s Song of Praise, Luke 1:46-50
Mary’s song is a song of revolution! The tables of the world are being turned over as God blesses the dishonored. If you read her song in its entirety (Luke 1:46-56), you see that it is not just a song about spiritual riches. It is also an examination of conscience about the concrete situation of the defenseless of our own time. When we pray the Magnificat, we align ourselves with God’s desire that the deprived be lifted up. We affirm our trust that God is coming to save and free us. We give thanks that God has taken away our shame and is calling us to respond to God’s love by welcoming the shameful. We celebrate that God has gifted us so that we might bring hope and joy to those who are broken.
Join us in January as we delve more fully into the life of Mary coming together for times of worship, teaching, contemplative prayer practices, table fellowship and enjoyment. Most importantly, we will gather to be encouraged and challenged by our guest teacher, Phileena Heuertz, to look at where we are in our walk with Christ and to begin to move to a place where we can discover our true selves and a truer knowledge of God. As a result, we will be prepared to take our place alongside Mary in birthing the Christ Child into this world.
I believe that this retreat will offer life-changing teachings and practices. Please register today to join us. We would love to have you!
Blessings, LuAnn Charlton
REFRESH AT HOME
Mary: Birthing God Into the World
Hayes Barton United Methodist Church
2209 Fairview Road
Raleigh, NC
January 20-22, 2017 hbumc.org/refresh
