It’s that time of year again when we’re inviting Christians across the Diocese to share their faith with others by wearing a symbol of their faith between 20th October and 3rd November. As in previous years, the Diocese of Sheffield is partnering with Arise Sheffield to run Wear Your Faith Fortnight (WYFF).
The Autumn is the perfect time of year to bring the light of Christ to all we meet by wearing something which is a symbol of our faith. It could be a wristband, a t-shirt, a necklace or something else.
Leaders of any church in the Diocese of Sheffield can reserve free packs of pin badges, waterproof stickers and other stickers to give out to their congregations to help them take part. There are a limited number of packs available so reserve resources for your church as soon as possible
This year’s badges and stickers feature a number of designs which are based on encounters with Jesus in the Bible. “The badges are all symbols of how Jesus cares deeply for each one of us and knows our individual needs and offers us love, restoration, rescue and forgiveness”.
This RESTORED badge depicting a jar, offers a representation of how Jesus restores us, fills us with his love and offers the opportunity to be filled with his lifegiving water. There are a number of stories in the Bible where Jesus shows us how he can restore each one of us. One particular story is about an encounter a woman has with Jesus whilst filling her jug with water from a well. She is perhaps a bit of an outcast. Have a read of the story and see how Jesus shows us how he reaches out to everyone, how he offers to fill us with his love so as to restore us. Spoiler alert! Having encountered Jesus, the story ends with the woman rushing off and sharing her story with all she meets. When we wear our symbols of faith, we too can share our story with others, we can share our own encounter with Jesus. (John 4: 1-42).
The LOVE badge shows us an image of a broken heart. The whole of the Bible is based on God’s love for all of us and for his world. There are so many examples of how Jesus demonstrates his love for us. Psalm 34:18 reassures us that the Lord is close to the broken-hearted but there are many other examples in the Bible of how Jesus shows his love; how he heals and offers hope. The good news is that his love is for everyone; God loves us just as we are. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more and there is nothing we can do to make him love us less. However you are feeling at the moment, perhaps a little low, on the side lines or unnoticed, this love badge is a reminder that Jesus loves you. Similarly, as Christians we are called to love our neighbour as ourselves; keep an eye out for those who perhaps need to be shown some extra love at this time. During WYFF, I wonder if you have a story to share about how you have encountered God’s love.
This RESCUE badge is a representation of how Jesus reaches out and is there ready to love us, heal us and rescue us. It reminds us that God sent Jesus to be our rescuer, to remind us of what God is like; a loving Father who cares for everyone. When we need rescuing, Jesus knows and understands our situations and reaches out to catch us. Again, there are many rescue stories in the Bible, but a particularly dramatic one is how a man called Peter was rescued by Jesus; he stepped out in faith to walk on water to meet Jesus who was also on the water. Peter became afraid and began to sink. Peter cried out to Jesus to save him, which Jesus immediately did by reaching out and catching him. (Matthew 14: 22-32; why not have a read and ask yourself where you might be in the story. I wonder if you have ever felt rescued by Jesus?).
The FORGIVE badge was offered as a badge last year and was hugely popular with many people. It was designed by 11-year-old Ezinne Ehosiem, winner of the 2023 Bishop’s Badge Competition. The design reminds us of the importance of forgiveness. The Bible is full of references to forgiveness, over 100 actually. This particular badge is a reminder that forgiveness in central to the Christian faith; Jesus came to offer us, all of us, forgiveness. The prayer which Jesus taught his followers, The Lord’s Prayer, tells us that we are to forgive others just as God forgives us. Jesus also says that church members should forgive each other seventy times seven times (Matthew: 18:22). So this badge is really a reminder that we shouldn’t limit the number of times we forgive others and that God forgives each and every one of us.
Wearing and Sharing our Faith
We can show we are a follower of Christ through the way we live our everyday lives, in the way we speak and the things we do. But perhaps when people see us wearing a symbol of our faith, they might feel more comfortable about asking us questions; offering us an opportunity to share our own encounters with Jesus, our own faith stories.
You can wear symbols of faith at any time of the year – not just during WYFF! But it is our hope that the fortnight will help to highlight the love of Jesus and encourage us to share our faith stories with others.
Ideas for Church Leaders
Stay Tuned
Over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing more ideas and resources to help people take part in Wear Your Faith Fortnight. Find out more.
Related links
26 October – 3 November 2024
Bring change & transformation to neighbourhoods & communities through window displays that convey a message of Light, Love & Hope as an alternative to Halloween.
Thursday 26th September
7:00pm – 9:30pm We invite you to explore how you can share your faith this Halloween, by securing your space at the Arise:Hallow Launch Evening!