Magnify the Lord in Prayer

By

"O magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt God's name together."
~Psalm 34:3 
"And Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord.'" 
~Luke 1:46

Today, in this first week of Advent, we pray in the spirit of Mary 
We pray WITH her:
  • “My spirit rejoices in God my savior” (Luke 1:46)
    We offer praise.
  • “The Mighty One has done great things for me…” (Luke 1:49)
    We remember. –What acts in Scripture and history has God accomplished? Where in your own life have you experienced God?
  • “How can this be?” (Luke 1:29, 34)
    We honestly voice struggle. (i.e. "Lord, I don’t have it all figured out. The world doesn’t always match up with your vision, but I know that you are big enough to handle my doubts...")
  •  “Here am I, the servant of the Lord.” (Luke 1:38)
    We offer ourselves to God’s mission--struggles and all.
  
And we pray FOR the women she represents:

  • Women who carried (and continue to carry) us forward in faith. May their spirits rejoice!
  • Women who desire to be mothers like Mary, but struggle with infertility. May they find hope and strength in God’s promises this Christmas.
  • Single women who find themselves pregnant and facing judgment from society. May they experience community and God’s mercy.
  • Women in need of shelter and protection--especially women at the Domestic violence/sexual assault Center--may these women, like Mary and Elizabeth, find peace and strength in community. 


    Kids Corner: What have you learned this week from Mary's reaction to God and the angel? (you might need to review Mary's story in Luke 1:26-56) 
    Are there women in your own life who, like Mary, have taught you about God? Give thanks for them!
    With your parents, work through the above prayer....
     
For More Reflection:
  • Write down as many women of faith as you can (in Scripture and in your own life). Send a note (or a text) of thanks to one of these women…
  • Mary's story is ultimately one of joy, but remember that not all stories work out so easily (or quickly).... Where, in Ocala, do women and families struggle? Send your prayers there--because that is exactly where God stands too.
     

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seventh Symbol of the Jesse Tree: 12 Tribes of Israel

By
Image
Seventh Symbol of the Jesse Tree: 12 Tribes of Israel And Israel (previously named Jacob) had 12 sons who didn't all get along (despite their Father's dying attempt to gather them together for blessing and peace...). These sons became the 12 tribes of Israel. Genesis 49:1-28  God could have chosen any tribe or any family lineage--God could have skipped the family drama and tribal violence of the Old Testament tribes, but God chose to remain faithful to those ancient promises. God chose to root new  life and new  peace in a previously violent story. Praise be to God!  Just for fun: Which of the Twelve Tribes of Israel are you? (online personality quiz)  Tribe of Jesus: · Matthew 1:1–6 and Luke 3:31-34  describe Jesus as the tribe of Judah . ( “Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.” ~Revelation 5:5) ·   Mary, Jesus’ mother, was also related to Elizabeth who came fr
Read more

Twelfth Symbol of the Jesse tree: Ruth's wheat

By
Image
Jesse Tree Symbol #12: Ruth, shaft of wheat I n the days of the Judges, famine left an Israelite woman named Naomi widowed and without both her sons. As she moved back to her hometown, one daughter-in-law (Ruth) stayed with her. This  penniless  foreigner--this outsider--Ruth was cared for and brought in to the Israelite family tree... the roots of Christ  Ruth 1:6-9,15-18; 2:1-12 and 16 Matthew 1:1-5                                       Reflection b y Peg Powell After reading these passages in Ruth, I was reminded of one of my favorite stories. Long ago, there was a mayor who lived with his only son in the hills of China. None of them in this village owned a horse, but one day, out of the blue, a stallion appeared at the mayor’s home.  All of the people exclaimed, “How lucky you are.” The mayor said, “We’ll see.” A few days later, the stallion disappeared, and all of the town’s people said,” How sad.” The mayor said, “We’ll see.” A week later the stallion retu
Read more

Eleventh Jesse Tree Symbol: Gideon's Clay Pitcher

By
Image
Eleventh Jesse Tree Symbol: Gideon's clay pitcher The Israelites enter the promised land, but the next generation stops worshipping God. When enemy armies attack and conquer them, the  Israelites turn back to God and cry out. God--in grace--raises up a judges (like Gideon) who leads Israel back to victory.  Gideon 6:11-16, 7:19-23 (or all of 6-8 if you're feeling ambitious)   Gideon--Peace by Karlie Harper I love the story of Gideon because it is an underdog story. In this story we see a man who is so full of doubt of himself that he does not recognize the Spirit of the Lord sitting right in front of him. For someone like me who battles doubt and anxiety, this story is particularly meaningful.  In the verses we see the Lord trying to build up Gideon’s courage by calling him a “might warrior” and telling him “Peace, do not be afraid”. But Gideon, not unlike myself, doesn’t listen to his Lord right away. If we read the story we go on to learn how Gideon—the weakest
Read more