Marked

At our Holiday Club we are looking at the story of Daniel from the Old Testament - a story in which Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, are required at a number of points, to stand up for their faith in God - even when that means putting their own lives at risk. To do what they know to be right or to face death.

As a Christian in the UK this is not a reality that I experience. Often when people talk about being persecuted for their faith it is in the context of not being allowed to wear a cross to work.

But for Christians living in many parts of the world this is their experience. In Iraq Christians are experiencing severe persecution. Christians in the city of Mosul have been driven out. The homes of Christians are being marked with an 'N' written in Arabic (N = Nazarene = Christian) along with the choice - leave/convert/pay/die.

You may have seen this symbol - the letter N - cropping up on Social Media sites as Christians as well as Muslims and those of no faith support the Christians in Iraq and call for end to what is going on there.