Witnessing
OBJECTIVE
- Today's objective is to learn how we may be witnesses to the Resurrection of Christ through the examples of the martyrs and the advice of the Apostles to perform acts of love through faith
INTRODUCTION - 10 Minutes
- Imagine that we are going to set up a calendar for the Coptic Church and we are asked to select the first year for this new calendar
- Would we pick the year of the Lord's nativity since this is His Incarnation?
- Would we select the resurrection because this is the center of our faith?
- Would anyone imagine that the Church would begin her calendar the first year of the reign of the emperor responsible for the bloodiest persecution against the Church?
HOLY SCRIPTURE - 10 Minutes
- 54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, "Look I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God" 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep (Acts 7:54-60).
- 13 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil (1 Pt. 3:13-17).
Memory Verse
"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven" (Mt. 10:32)
Content - 25 Minutes
- Martyrdom and Service
- Martyrdom comes from the Greek word "Martos" meaning witness
- Confessor, from the Greek "Ieomologitis," is one who suffers for the sake of Christ
- Martyrdom is the greatest testimony of Christianity as well as the greatest act of love
- In serving the Church and the community, the martyrs gave their lives to preserve the Christian faith, declare that Christ is the true God who has risen from the dead, and encourage all other Christians to have boldness in their faith and testimony
- Martyrdom of St. Stephen
- Last week we discussed the calling of the seven deacons, including St. Stephen, "a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit" (Acts 6:5), as the Church grew in numbers
- After confessing God before men, St. Stephen was stoned for his preaching
- As a result of martyrdom and persecution, the early Christians were scattered to other places where they continued to preach, such as Samaria (cf. Acts 8:1, 4-5)
- Martyrdom and Suffering as Witness
- Witness in the Church Calendar (Anno Martyrum)
- The Coptic Church began her calendar on the first year of Diocletian's reign in the year 284 AD to commemorate the sacrifice of the martyrs to preserve our faith
- Every Coptic New Year, we commemorate the gift of faith handed down by the martyrs, the same gift they received from Christ's own death and resurrection
- The service of the martyrs invigorated the Church to defend the true faith against heretics
- Martyrdom is the Witness to the Resurrection
- St. Athanasius explained in On the Incarnation that martyrdom is evidence of the Resurrection, saying that, unless Jesus rose from the dead and defeated death, men, women, and children would not be able to stand against death
- St. Paul explains in 1 Co. 15:12-19 that the Resurrection is the center of our faith, and that, if Christ didn't rise from the dead, then both our faith and preaching are empty (cf. 1 Co. 15:14)
- Sacrificial Love
- The martyrs recognized the words of the Lord, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (Jn. 15:13)
- The martyrs do not choose to die because they hate life, but rather because of the incredible love they have for Christ Who has laid down His life for us. St. Paul shares this sentiment, writing, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain... ( (cf. Pp. 1:21-24)
- Witness in the Church Calendar (Anno Martyrum)
- Proper Behavior as a Witness
- The Christian doctrine is not limited to just our faith, but rather this faith causes us to perform works of love on account of the love God demonstrated for us
- St. James says very clearly that faith without works is dead (cf. Jm. 2:17)
- At the end of the beatitudes, the Lord calls for our light to "shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Mt. 5:16)
- Acts of Service as a Witness
- The Coptic Church teaches us to reach out to others through acts of service and love, so that the truth of the Gospel may be made manifest in the life of the Christian
- As we spoke in the previous two weeks, these works are the works of charity for one another
DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 5 Minutes
- Imagine someone who knows nothing about Christianity or religion observes us for an entire week to learn about Orthodoxy. What sort of message would they gather?
- In turn, what sort of lessons do we learn from the lives of the saints and martyrs?
- What are ways that the stories of the martyrs have contributed to the growth and spread of the Gospel?
- How can acts of love and acts of service be a witness to the resurrection of Christ?
APPLICATION (Action) - 10 Minutes
- Look for opportunities to be polite, respectful, or kind to people and see how it affects them
- Look for opportunities to do chores or help out around the house without your parents asking you
- When pressured by friends to engage in sin or inappropriate activities, remember the martyrs who did not waver in their faith and did not compromise their love for Christ
PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK
- Introduce your children to the various saint stories and encourage them to build relationship with and hold the saints as their role models
- Consider reading the Synaxarion with your children daily
- Continue creating opportunities to serve with your child, such as, for example, visiting the sick, helping other families, or assisting people in the Church