Pensees: Ladies Retreat

Ladies Retreat

Dear Ladies,

It is true that in Christ there is neither male nor female, but all are in Christ and Christ is in all. Yet on this circle of dirt we call earth, God has designed some of His children to be male, others to be female. It requires two genders to display the image of God. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27 ESV). As women, you display the splendor of God’s image when you are fully and unreservedly women. As your pastor, I celebrate your womanhood and glory in it, rejoicing to see the strength and beauty of the Lord displayed through it. However, you are not only women. You are Christian women.

The most important of all commandments from the Creator to humanity, particularly Christians, is that we love God. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment (Matthew 22:37, 38). He says to His image-bearers, “Love Me as I have made you. Love Me, ladies, with all your feminine heart, feminine strength, feminine soul, and feminine mind. Be God-entranced women, glory in your femininity, for the display of My image depends on womanhood.” Therefore, I think that God delights in the wholesome and uplifting camaraderie of gender such as you will find at this retreat that fits His women to be more effective servants of God and strengthens them in their pilgrimage to heaven.

I would suspect that our Lord is pleased with ladies’ retreats. His earthly ministry was distinguished by an almost other-worldly (particularly at that time) appreciation of women. His traveling entourage included a cadre of dedicated female disciples, and it was to His female disciples that He first revealed Himself on the holiest day of history, the Resurrection Day. And did you realize that God sees to it that no Christian ladies retreat ever occurs without the presence of at least one man servant? And a happy man at that! Yes, God the Father appoints a man, a pure and delighted man, to serve you. It is the Man Christ Jesus who is the one and only mediator between God and women (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the happiest of men! God has anointed [Jesus] with the oil of gladness above all [His] companions (Hebrews 1:9). And He came, says the Scripture, to serve! If your heart is touched, your burdens relieved, your body refreshed, and your soul rejoiced, it is because of Christ Jesus our Lord who is personally visiting your retreat. Rejoice in Him! Celebrate Him! Serve Him! Delight in Him! He’s delighted in you.

As your pastor, I want you to know that my earnest prayers are lifted to God for your fulfillment and joy as servants of Christ on this planet and in this space of time we call life. Perhaps you do not know – or are not assured of – a heart-to-heart relationship with the Creator of Women. Please ask one of the ladies, or make a point to talk to someone who really does commune with God. He invites you to come to Him. Perhaps you are weary or have sorrows that seem to tender to touch, but nonetheless seem to crush you. My friend, please know that there are ladies at this retreat who you can trust and who will love you, cry with you, and share your burden. I invite you to open up to them. They will never know until you let them know the real you. Maybe you’re just tired of the rat race, the routine, or the pressures of daily life. Then, enjoy!

I close with one strong pastoral admonishment: Come back even happier than you left!

In Christ, the Beloved One,

Pastor
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Letter composed for our ladies last year which we left in each gift basket. I share it here as I prepare to compose another letter for the ladies retreat this weekend with guest speaker, Cookie Altizer