Advent - a season of waiting in hope

Starting four Sundays before Christmas Day, the season of Advent ushers in a time of expectant waiting and longing. In this period of spiritual preparation, it's a joy to look forward with hope and expectation to Christ's second coming while also preparing our hearts and minds to celebrate His birth at Christmas.

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.

Psalm 130:5  

Sharing Advent hope with Feba's partners

This Advent, we invite you to explore what this season means for Feba's partners as they use radio and other audio media creatively to inspire people to follow Jesus Christ while waiting in hope for God's long-awaited promise to the world to be fulfilled.

As messengers of hope, our partners live and work in a continuous cycle of hope, anticipation and fulfilment. Whenever they share the good news, they wait in hope for Jesus to come and make Himself known personally to each of their listeners. Their Christlike example of praying, sharing the gospel and actively waiting in hope is inspiring not only in this season of Advent but also throughout the year.

What does it mean to 'wait in hope'?

The Psalmist says, "We wait in hope for the Lord" (Psalm 33:20), but what does it mean for us personally to 'wait in hope'? As you engage in these reflections, consider your own experience of waiting. After all, how we wait and what we think and do in our waiting can reveal much about our faith and daily walk with Jesus. For instance, if you are deeply trusting and waiting in hope, you are unlikely to be overcome by fear or despair.

Make Advent waiting hopeful, purposeful and SLOW!

Right at the start of Jesus' public ministry, Luke records how Jesus applies the words of Isaiah 61 to his own mission of bringing salvation and hope to all people. Over the four weeks of Advent, we invite you to join us as we focus on each of the four themes highlighted in Luke 4:18 and see how they apply both to our partners and in our own lives.

To aid our reflections, we have formed an acrostic from the word SLOW. At what can be such a busy time of the year in the run up to Christmas, we encourage you to take time to follow these steps throughout each week of Advent:

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Stop and reflect on verses of scripture for the week.
Love God and His people by focusing on a Feba partner and how they're sharing God's love by using radio and other audio media to inspire people to follow Jesus Christ.
Open your heart to God in prayer.
Wait on God and take practical steps to walk in His ways as a messenger of hope.

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Advent invites us to slow down – to take time each day to watch, look, listen, and then, in the power of the Holy Spirit – to act. With that in mind, we invite you to read through each week's content on every day of each week to help you develop a SLOW Advent routine. Why not make this experience even richer by journaling and writing down what God is saying to you and how He is preparing your heart?

May God transform us by His Spirit into people of hope as we wait for the Lord.

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Weekly reflections through Advent

We will be releasing fresh content each Sunday through Advent - all based around the central theme of 'Waiting in hope'. Please just click the following titles to visit each page when they go live (on the dates shown).

Week One: 27th November - 'Waiting in hope with the poor'

Week Two: 4th December - 'Waiting in hope with those in captivity'

Week Three: 11th December - 'Waiting in hope with those who cannot see'

Week Four: 18th December - 'Waiting in hope with those who are oppressed'

Please feel free to share details of this page and Feba's Advent resources with anyone you think might be interested - perhaps family or friends, maybe people from your church. We do still have some printed copies available too - please do contact us if you would like one/some sent in the post.

Thank you for your partnership with us this Advent season.

To make a donation to Feba's 'Waiting in Hope' Advent appeal, please click here. Thank you.