Rejoice, Favored One! Advent Practices to Receive God's Call

“Rejoice, favored one!” This is the greeting the angel offers Mary in Luke 1:28, just after breaking into her daily routine, and before inviting her to bear God’s son. It is an astonishing moment, one we assume is meant only for Mary.

And yet, that's not the case. Indeed, God is continually breaking into our everyday lives to invite us to bear Love in the world. And God is always addressing us as "Favored one." The problem is that we may not believe this; we may not believe we are worthy of such a greeting, and we may miss the ways in which God is showing up in our lives.

Join us for an Advent Quiet Day where we will hear God call us “favored one,” and ponder our calling to Love. Together, we will hear the good news, explore the reasons we doubt it, and begin to create space for a new way of seeing ourselves in God's eyes. In this way, we will prepare our hearts to receive the Christ child - the One who breaks into our world to confirm how deeply God loves us.

This weekly study will not involve any study materials. Instead, each meeting will offer a devotion, time for discussion, and a shared spiritual practice, along with an intention to hold as you go about your week. This means there is no preparation involved, and you are invited to show up just as you are.

We will meet on Mondays at 7:00 PM EST via Zoom. The study begins Monday, 12/1 and ends on 12/22.