Week 7 – 2023/24

Day 1 – Head

We begin our prayer today with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy spirit, Amen.

Today we are going to hear a passage from St Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. It is believed that this is St Paul’s earliest letter written, and is to the people of Thessalonica. Paul and his friend Silas were only in Thessalonica for a month before they had a large following and many converts to the Church, but they had to flee. Caesar was not happy that they were referring to Jesus as a King, and people began to persecute them.

This first letter is Paul’s attempt to reconnect with the people of Thessalonica after hearing that the Church has not only survived but thrived. The first half of the letter is a celebration of the faithfulness of the people, and that is where today’s passage comes from.

But we were gentle when we were with you, like a mother taking care of her children. Because of our love for you we were ready to share with you not only the Good News from God but even our own lives. You were so dear to us! Surely you remember, our friends, how we worked and toiled! We worked day and night so that we would not be any trouble to you as we preached to you the Good News from God. You are our witnesses, and so is God, that our conduct toward you who believe was pure, right, and without fault. You know that we treated each one of you just as parents treat their own children. We encouraged you, we comforted you, and we kept urging you to live the kind of life that pleases God, who calls you to share in his own Kingdom and glory. And there is another reason why we always give thanks to God. When we brought you God’s message, you heard it and accepted it, not as a message from human beings but as God’s message, which indeed it is. For God is at work in you who believe.

1 Thessalonians 2:7-13

Take a moment to reflect on the passage, and the way that Paul is speaking to the people. You can see that he clearly cares about the people, and is proud of the work that they have done. He speaks about how they shared not only the word of God but spoke about their own lives too. How do you think it might have felt for Paul, finding a community so willing to listen to him?

We all know that sometimes sharing your faith isn’t easy, and it was surely the same for Paul in his role as a Missionary Disciple. Sometimes we have to keep going to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and the joy of those around us.

Let us pray:

Dear Lord, we ask that you surround us with people willing to listen to us as we live out our faith. Please give us strength like Paul to carry on, and to see the wonder in our roles as disciples. Amen.

We end our prayer with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Day 2 – Heart

We begin our prayer today with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy spirit, Amen.

Quiz Question Time! How much can you remember from yesterday?

1. What book in the Bible was our scripture from?
2. Who wrote it?
3. Who did they write their letter to?
4. What was the theme of the scripture?

Answers are at the end of the day, let us know how many you got right!

Yesterday’s scripture was one full of heart and faith. It showed clear love and appreciation for the people that had been hearing God’s message, but this wasn’t always the case. Below is a video of a film that was realised about St Paul, and it does a great job of showing the difficulties that Paul faced in his mission. Take a look now.

There are times in our lives when our faith can falter, and we can struggle to feel God anywhere near us. Whilst we are almost definitely not as strong in our faith as Paul was (although some of you may be which is great too!), we still need to look for those moments where people appreciate us and we feel loved and wanted. Paul felt this in Thessalonica, and it is important for us to find those places too.

We shouldn’t take the easy route and stay by people who do not support or accept us, particularly if we are hiding parts of ourselves or being untrue to who we really are. We have to keep going, and find the people who make us feel loved and who understand who we are. It is the same with our faith as well, sometimes it can feel easier to hide this away and not broadcast it, but we should be proud of our love for Christ and find others who feel the same.

Let’s take a moment now and give glory to God by praying together:

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.

We end our prayer with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Answers: 1 Thessalonians, Paul, the Thessalonians/the people of Thessalonica, it was Paul talking about how much he enjoyed his time with the people and how they were people of good faith.

Day 3 – Hands

We begin our prayer with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

We end our prayer with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.