Stop and reflect

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor."

Luke 4:18

Proclaiming good news to the poor was a high priority for Jesus. Consider that throughout His ministry, as recorded in Luke’s gospel, God emphasises His care and concern for the poor - whether in spiritual, physical or material need.

Read Luke 6:20, 7:22, 12:33-34, and 18:22 for further reflection and meditation this week.

Love God and His people

Feba's partners in India reach many who are poor and marginalised, particularly women and young people, in this vast country with the second highest population in the world. Programmes are produced and delivered at grass roots level in the languages of those listening. As local Christians proclaim good news to the poor, listeners like Sona are encouraged to make positive changes in their lives. 

Soon after Sona^* married, all her dreams were shattered when she discovered her husband was cheating on her. She fled her in-laws' house and returned to her mother. After her mother died, she felt isolated, impoverished and suicidal. At her lowest ebb, she remembered Feba's Protyasha^** programme she used to listen to and decided to tune in again. The message that day spoke directly into her life and situation. She phoned the response team and after several counselling sessions she gained the confidence to take a job in a local school. Since then, Sona has given her life to Jesus. She's so thankful to the team in India - who proclaimed good news to her at her moment of greatest need, which then gave her fresh hope and a renewed purpose in life.

In this short video, two listeners share their own stories of what a difference Feba's partner in India's broadcasts have made to their lives, and Pastor Bobby sends you his personal greeting too - with some thoughts about the shepherds in the Nativity:

Open your heart to God in prayer

• Pray for Feba's partner in India. Ask the Holy Spirit to inspire the team to find creative ways to proclaim good news to the poor in a country where it is forbidden to broadcast the gospel openly on the airwaves.
• Pray for the counselling teams who play such a vital role in supporting people in crisis and helping listeners to put their faith and trust in Jesus.

Wait on God and walk in His ways

As you take time in this first week of Advent to wait on God in the light of Jesus' words in Luke 4:18, ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind people in your neighbourhood and further afield, where He can use you to proclaim good news to the poor in both word and through acts of loving kindness. 

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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'. For an introduction to the series, please click here. You can also 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.

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^*name changed for security purposes

^** Protyasha is a popular girl's name meaning 'anticipation'. Programmes cover hot topics such as child marriage, gender discrimination, child labour, cheating, and the trafficking of women and girls