Christian Key Practices

Christian Worship & Prayer, The Sacraments, Festivals & Pilgrimage

Liturgical Worship

Liturgical Worship

Liturgical Worship relates to services that are ordered and have a set pattern.

Advantages of Liturgical Worship

• Worshipping in public helps some Christians to feel part of a larger community

• For many Christians they will feel closer to Jesus as they believe he is with them in the church

• Worshipping together and following the traditions also helps Christians to feel connected to other Christians now and throughout history.

Quote supporting Liturgical Worship

“For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them”

Non-Liturgical Worship

Some Christians take part in non-liturgical worship in which there does not need to be a set order or ritual.

Advantages of Non-Liturgical Worship

• Some Christians prefer an unstructured way of worshipping because it gives them more freedom.

• As no two services are the same, it involves more variety

• Personal connection with God. More convenient (private).

Disadvantages of Non-Liturgical Worship

Others believe that non-liturgical, unstructured services are unsuitable and do not have the level of respect required for a Christian service.

Explain two contrasting examples of Christian worship. [4 marks]

In liturgical worship, the priest may perform symbolic actions such as those associated with the ritual of the Eucharist whereas non-liturgical worship may be less structures and symbolic, being charismatic, free-flowing and ‘Spirit-led’. (2)

Private worship may involve only one individual and no set form of worship may be contrasted with public worship involving people joining together as a community and often as a set order, etc. (2)

Reasons for prayer

• Thanksgiving - to thank God for something

• Supplication - asking God for something

• Adoration - worshipping God

• Confession - admitting and asking for forgiveness for sins

• Intercession - asking God to help other people

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done on earth

as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread

and forgive us for our sins as we

forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for the kingdom,

the power and the glory are yours,

now and forever. Amen.

Importance of Christian Prayer

• Christians draw comfort from the fact that they believe God is listening to them

• Many Christians believe that God is also communicating back and guiding them with important decisions through the Holy Spirit

• Prayer strengthens the relationship between Christians and God

• It is following the example of Jesus who is often as praying in the Bible

• Through prayers of adoration, Christians can acknowledge the goodness and greatness of God

• It encourages Christians to confess and ask for forgiveness

• It helps Christians to remain humble as they thank God for all the things He has given them

• Through prayers of intercession, Christians remember the needs of others rather than focusing on themselves

• Through prayers of supplication, it encourages Christians to remember that they cannot do everything themselves and they need someone greater than them

• It unites the Church as some prayers are said together as part of the service

Catholic and Orthodox Sacraments

• Baptism signifies entry into the Church

• Confirmation is the time when a Christian (usually a teenager) renews their vows made on their behalf during Baptism

• Reconciliation is when sin is confessed and forgiveness is sought

• Anointing the Sick happens when the person is ill and needs God’s help

• Matrimony is where a marriage takes place and God blesses the couple

• Holy Orders occurs when men are ordained as deacons, priests or bishops

• Eucharist is the ceremony where the body and blood of Christ is received through bread and wine

The Protestant Sacraments

• Protestants only accept Baptism and the Eucharist as sacraments

• They believe that it was only these two that were prescribed by Jesus in the Gospels

Quotes for Baptism

• “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

• “No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the spirit

Infant Baptism

• Sign of the Cross id made on the infant’s forehead to show that the child will remain faithful to Christ and fight against evil

• The lighting of the candle to symbolise that the child has received the Light of Christ

• The Bible is read and prayers are recited

• Promises are made by parents and godparents to reject evil, repent of sins and submit to Christ, and accept the Church’s faith as set out in the Apostle’s Creed

• The newly baptised child will be dressed in a white robe

• At two different points in the service, the infant will be anointed with oils as a sign of receiving strength to fight evil and salvation

Believers Baptism

• White clothes are often worn as a sign of the new life about to begin

• Testimony is read from the person due to be baptised explaining why they came to believe and why they were seeking baptism

• There is a declaration of Penitence of Sin, of faith in Christ as his or her personal Saviour and the dedication of lifelong service to Christ

• The candidate walks down the steps into the water and is fully submerged in the water

• The minister will then baptise the person in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

• When the person leaves the pool, it symbolises an end to their old life of sin and separation from God and the start of their new life serving God

Benefits of Believer’s Baptism over Infant Baptism

• Being baptised as an adult means that you are able to make the decision rather than the decision being made for you

• It makes more sense to have a ceremony that washes away sins for someone who has lived and therefore committed sins that could be washed away

• Infant baptism involves washing away original sin and it seems unfair that a baby should have to be atoned for the sins of others in the past

• It is better to be part of a ceremony that you have some control over and you can make a conscious decision about it

Holy Communion / The Eucharist

• The Eucharist is celebrated by almost all denominations.

• Roman Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christians see the service as a sacrament

• It remembers the last meal Jesus shared with his disciples and remembers his death, the sacrifice and the miracle of his resurrection

• During Holy Communion, Christians give thanks to God for sending Jesus to save people from sin and enable them to experience God’s love for all eternity

• Biblical account of the Eucharist:

  ‘He broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom”

Advent

• Advent begins with the fourth Sunday before Christmas.

• Christians use this period to prepare themselves for Christmas, the celebration of the anniversary of the birth of Jesus,

Christmas

• Celebration of the birth of Jesus and is celebrated on December 25th.

• Lots of Catholics, Orthodox and Anglican churches have a Midnight Mass to welcome Christmas Day

• Most Christians go to church on Christmas morning to celebrate

Lent

• Lent is the period before Easter when Christians remember their sins

• This is called penitence

• It used to be a time of fasting but today people often give up something they enjoy

• Lent commemorates the 40 days and nights that Jesus spent fasting and praying in the wilderness

• On Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), ash is put on the forehead of believers to show that are sorry for their sins

Easter

• Easter helps Christians to remember the sacrifice of Jesus through His crucifixion and resurrection

• Easter reminds Christians that God loves them so much he was willing to suffer and die on the cross. This gives them hope of eternal life and salvation

• The resurrection of Jesus is central to Christian faith. For most Christians, Easter is the most important festival

Quote for Easter

“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith”

Pilgrimage

A pilgrimage is a journey by a believer to a holy site for religious reasons. It is an act of worship and devotion.

Reasons for Christian pilgrimage

• he Bible tells the story of Jesus and his parents making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Christians may want to follow in their footsteps

• Some Christians believe that some pilgrimage sites will help them to heal (physically or spiritually)

• The reason may be to ask God for forgiveness

• It could be to deepen their faith or concentrate more on their religion

• Christians may also want to strengthen the community of Christians by meeting others with the same beliefs

• Some Christians (Catholics) make pilgrimage to shrines where they believe Mary has appeared. For example, Lourdes

• Other Christians (Protestants) may visit places where they can find peace to be able to study the bible and pray. For example, Iona

• Some Christians believe that pilgrimage is unnecessary. They believe that the internal spiritual journey is more important than any external visit to a holy place