what is worship?
a form of prayer to God and an acknowledgement of God’s greatness
what are the different types of worship?
public
privae
liturgical
non-liturgical
informal
what are private worships?
this form of worship is more personal and expresses a Christian’s more intimate relationship with God
what is public worship?
they follow a form that is set down, often led by a minister
this form of worship brings people together and allows them to worship God as a united community
what are bible services?
often led by a minister who has recieved special training
the service will include readings from the bible and hymns based on the bible are often sung by the congregation
what is liturgical worship?
they are more traditional and follow a set pattern
when christians come together to worship God, such as in the celebration of the Eucharist
the Eucharist uses rituals such as processions and sacramental signs such as the bread and wine to symbolise the presence of Christ
priests or ministers are appointed to lead these
what are the characteristics of liturgical worship that makes it important for christians?
they recieve forgivness from God through the priest
they recieve the living presence of Jesus through holy communion
bible readings and rituals
what is non-liturgical worship?
there is no set order or ritual
they emphasis on the word of God in the bible
usually focused on bible readings and a sermon
what are the characteristics of non-liturgical worship that makes it important for christians?
faith is expressed in a variety of ways
christians can share personal interpretations of the bible
people can take an active part in church without formal training
what is informal worship?
depends on people’s spontaneous prayers
quaker worship is mainly silent
it is charismatic
what is prayer?
communicating with God in silence or aloud using set or informal prayer.
why do christians pray?
To feel closer to God
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication
what can be used in prayer?
a rosary - used to count prayers
orthodox christians use icons to aid prayer
what is an example of a set prayer?
the lord’s prayer
what is the importance of the Lord’s prayer
it gives individual christians a pattern for how to pray
when used in private prayer, a christian is reminded that she or he must forgive others
it reminds christians that God is the Father of the whole community, not just the individual
it can bring a sense of unity when recited
what are sacraments?
rites an rituals through which the believer receives a special gift of grace
what are the 7 accepted sacraments?
baptism
confirmation
holy communion
marriage
holy orders
reconciliation
the anointing of the sick
how do sacraments help Christians?
they involve symbolic actions, words and physical elements : such as water in baptism, bread and wine for the body of christ in holy communion
many christians believe that sacraments help to affirm that christians are a part of the body of Christ and the church
what are the different beliefs for infant baptism?
AGAINST
people say that they are too young to sin
FOR
it removes the original sin
everyone has a tendency to sin and needs salvation
they are welcomed into the church as early as possible
what is believer’s baptism?
initiation into the church by immersion in a pool of water, of people old enough to understand the ceremony and want to start living a life devoted to Jesus
give an example of baptism in the bible
when John the baptist, baptised Jesus in the Jordan river
what is holy communion? ( Eucharist)
a service of thanksgiving which the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus is recalled and symbolised through bread and wine
why is holy communion so impactful for christians?
they believe that through it they will receive God’s grace by joining in the great sacrifice of Jesus
how is holy communion celebrated?
through the divine liturgy in the orthodox church - it recreates heaven on earth - hymns and prayers are said, there is a priest
the catholic mass - greeting from the priest of penance and praise
what is a pilgrimage
a journey often made for religious reasons to a holy site in an act of worship or devotion
what is an example of a place to pilgrim too?
Jerusalem - the place where Jesus lived, died and was resurrected
what is the importance of pilgrimage
to feel closer to God and strengthen faith
express sorrows for sin and be forgiven
reflect on their lives
pray for something special or ask for a blessing
seek a cure for an illness
experience a holy place
is pilgrimage compulsory?
no - but it can affect a person on a spiritual level and often lead to a better understanding of faith
what is Lourdes?
a place of pilgrimage in the south of France dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus
Mary was said to have found a spring of water with healing properties
now many go to lourdes in hopes to be healed
mainly catholic pilgrims
what is Iona?
an island off the west coast of Scotland dedicated to the virgin Mary
some people think that Iona is the veil between the spiritual world and physical world - a place where nature reveals God’s infinite power and presence (general revelation)
it is a place of silence and reflection and meditation and taking in the awe and wonder of God’s creations
multi-dimentional faith
what is a festival?
a period or day of celebration for religious reasons
what is the importance of Christmas to christians?
the incarnation of Jesus - God became human flesh
light represents Jesus
it is seen as a time of good will and peace
the birth of Jesus
what is the importance of Easter to christians?
the day when Jesus rose from the dead and was resurrected
victory of good over evil
life over death
eggs symbolise new life
what is palm sunday?
the day in which four gospels state that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey
what is Maundy Thursday?
the day where Jesus hosted the last supper
marks the beginning of a time of sadness
what is good friday?
the day Jesus was crucified
commemorated with hot cross buns
what is reconciliation?
a sacrament in the catholic church - also the restoring of harmony after relationships have been broken
what is the primary mission of the worldwide church?
to proclaim that Jesus came so that the relationship between God and humanity was reconciled
christians argue that original sin was what broke the relationship first - but Jesus came to restore it
what do christians believe about reconciliation?
they believe that you should be reconciled with God and one another
what is persecution?
hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of race or religious beliefs
what is the world council of Churches aim?
to try bring about reconciliation between different christian denominations and stop christian persecution
what is the churches response to wold poverty?
they try to follow the teachings of Jesus in working to relieve poverty
e.g the parable of the good samaritan, it teaches the importance of caring for others.
christians believe they should present Jesus to the world through helping the disadvantaged
what is the church?
the body of christ among whom christ is present and active
a building in which christians may worship as a community
what does the church do?
it provides help and shelter for disadvantaged people
it provides food - food banks
“for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink” - Matthew
they try to follow this principle
they have a role of stewardship
why should Christians be involved in the local community?
in the parable of the sheep and the goats - it teaches that Christians should not ignore the needs of society because showing AGAPE love is part of the christian way of life
what is agape?
a word used in the bible that describes selfless, sacrificial and unconditional love
what are street pastors?
they aim to help and care for vunerable people in practical ways
“love thy neighbour”
what is a mission/missionary?
the vocation or calling of a religious organisation or individual to spread their faith
what is the great commission?
Jesus’s instruction to his followers that they should spread his teachings to all the nations of the world
what is evangelism?
spreading the christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness
how much of the world’s population is christian?
around 1.5-2.5 billion
up to a third of the world’s population claim to be some sort of christian faith
how much has the church grown?
in 2010 there were nearly 1.1 billion catholics a big increase on the estimates 291 million in 1910
christians in 1899-1901 would go into China and force people to follow the Christian faith - they would also kill people of buddhist faiths or others
what is a convert
someone who has decided to change their religion and faith