Week: The Advent Voices - Women
As usual, we start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
God of rescue and restoration, thank You for Your beautiful mission to save the whole world. Here we are, Lord. Fill us with Your Spirit, and send us so that we can join in with Your mission.
Evangeline and Francesca French and Mildred Cable understood the power of being good friends. Let’s begin by REFLECTING on something the Bible says about friendship.
Read by Ruby
Ecclesiastes 4:12
A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NLT)
Evangeline, Francesca and Mildred – also known as ‘the Trio’ – were born in England in the 1800s. They were passionate followers of Jesus and they travelled huge distances to remote parts of China, Central Asia and the Gobi desert to tell people about Jesus. They insisted on travelling simply – just them and a small cart loaded with Bibles and a few of their belongings – and they trusted God to keep them safe, especially when they were camping in the wild.
The Trio had very different personalities – Francesca was sensitive, Mildred was tough and Evangeline was funny – but they made a great team, and together they set up lots of churches and Bible schools. They even wrote books about their travels, which became guidebooks for other explorers.
Let’s pause and talk about today’s question, which is: Who are our best friends at the moment? What is it we like about them so much?
Let’s pray for the friends we’ve just been talking about.
Lord Jesus, we’re really grateful for our friends – for the kind things they say and do, for the ways that they support us and encourage us. We ASK You to help us to be really good friends towards them too.
People like Evangeline, Francesca and Mildred who move to other places, even to other countries, to tell people about Jesus are often called ‘missionaries’. Do we know any missionaries? If so, let’s pray for them now.
Loving God, we ASK You to be with all those who have left friends and families back at home so they can travel to tell other people about Jesus. Give them courage in every conversation, and keep them safe too. And we also ASK You to help them find good friends, wherever they are.
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, we’re grateful that whether we’re travelling in remote parts of China or camping in the Gobi desert or hanging out at home or studying at school, You’re always there with us. Whether we’re on our own, or with our friends, You’re there with us. And so we say YES to following You, living the way You want us to live.
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Chris lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two boys. He works for 24-7 Prayer Australia and Red Church and is also a professional musician. When he’s not working or drumming Chris enjoys going on long hikes in the mountains with his boys and playing table tennis.
Ruby is 12 and she lives in Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland with her family. Ruby is a gymnast who never sits still! She loves dogs (but her mum won’t get her one), she loves her friends and she’s always up for a laugh. Ruby would love to work with animals when she’s older.
