Witness is the sharing of our faith with others. It is a way of testifying to the truth of Jesus Christ and the Gospel message. Our witness can be a way of celebrating the hope and joy that we have in Jesus and a way of powerfully sharing the good news with those around us.
Day 1 – Head
On the first day of our prayer we will be reflecting on The Word of God to help us to understand our theme.
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 are continuing St Paul’s letter to the Romans, because right after he talks about Vocations, last week’s subject, he goes on to talk about how we can best fulfil that vocation and witness our faith to the rest of the world.
St Paul reiterates Jesus’ call for radical love, to show to even those who mistreat you, that they are loved.
It makes sense, if we can show even our enemies that they are loved, then they are more likely to believe God loves them.
But there is more to this lesson from St Paul.
We are not called to fix the issues of this world. If you friend is sad, you do not need to make them better, all you need to do is empathise with them, to be sad with them, so that they know they are not alone.
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus Christ,
Help us to Love how you Loved
To think not of ourselves, but of those around us first
Give us the courage to Love as you Love us
To give of ourselves, as you gave of yourself
We ask all this in your wonderful name.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Day 2 – Heart
On the second day of the week we focus on our hearts. How can the scripture that we looked at previously impact our lives, and the lives of others? What themes can we draw from the scripture?
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.
Look around the classroom and ask yourself, how many people do you know go to church?
It may be difficult to believe, but it is illegal in some countries to be Christian.
If you want to know more, take a look at this:
Countries Where Christianity Is Illegal 2025
I want you to think about yourself, and ask whether, if it was suddenly illegal to be Christian in our country, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
Often, we keep our beliefs to ourselves, in fear of “offending” others, or being left out and discriminated because of it.
This is all too easy to do, but it is the opposite of what Jesus calls us to do.
Jesus calls us to not shy away from expressing our faith, and be ready to be discriminated because of it:
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven
Matthew 5:11-12 ESVUK
While we know this theoretically, it is much harder to believe and live out.
On day three, we will ask you to do a few specific actions to Witness to your faith.
For now, we ask God to help us live out what we know.
Let us pray:
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus Christ,
We know that to live a life Witnessing to your truth will ne be easy
But we also know it will be joyful and fruitful
Give us the courage to confess our faith, even when we know it will be hard
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Day 3: Hands
On the final day of the week we try to put into action the things we have learnt and reflected on previously in the week, hence the hands link!
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.
The amazing thing about Witnessing our faith, is that is makes us Joyful.
In the Acts of the Apostles, when Peter and the apostles are arrested and beaten, they are happy to have suffered for Jesus’ name:
Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name.
Acts 5:41 ESVUK
We are going to give you 5 suggestions on how to Witness your faith, and ask you to pick one to practise this week:
- Say your own grace before meals: while it may not be very visible, taking time to thank God for your food is a very subtle and simple way of showing others you believe in God.
- Don’t avoid talking about going to church: next time someone asks you what your plans for the weekend are, be honest and say that you’ll be going to church, the simple act of saying it shows you value it enough to let others know.
- Spend some time in the Chapel or Prayer room: take some time over lunch, break, before or after school to be with God. It may mean less time with friends, getting up earlier, or less time at home doing what you want, but it will draw you closer to God.
- Talk to a friend about your faith: sometimes it only takes a little openness to help another have the courage to take their faith more seriously.
- Add a comment to this post on how your faith has helped you through hard times.
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus Christ,
Thank you for the faith you give us
Help us to bear Witness to your truth in our everyday lives
Give us courage to never disown you
Grant us the Joy of living in faith with you
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
We discussed how important it is to acknowledge peoples feelings when they are upset rather than dismissing them.