Christian Practices

• • Worship is the way in which Christians show their deep love, reverence, and respect for God.
  • It is connected with the word ‘worth’ and means to recognise someone’s importance and value. 
• • Christians may worship alone or with others, in a special building like a church, in people’s homes or any appropriate place.
  • Worship may involve prayer, mediation, Bible readings, singing hymns, preaching, sharing food, pilgrimage, celebrating festivals or using religious art, music, or drama.
  • People can worship at any time, but Christians’ weekly public worship takes place on Sunday the day of Jesus’ resurrection. 
• • Worship allows Christians to praise and thank God for his blessings, to ask for forgiveness of sin or to seek God’s help for themselves or others who may be suffering.
  • Worship helps deepen a Christian’s relationship with God and gives him or her comfort or strength to live a more truly Christian life. 
• • Some Christians prefer services that follow the same set pattern each time. This is called liturgical worship.
  • In liturgical worship a priest leads the congregation in formal prayers that have set responses.
  • Bible passages are read out, particularly from the gospels, and there may be a sermon (a talk that centres on a religious or moral teaching) based on these.
  • The priest may perform symbolic actions which have specific meaning.
  • During the service there will often be music, hymns sung by the congregation or choir, or sometimes chanting by the priest.  
• • Holy Communion is a service held by a priest to remember the actions of Jesus at the Last Supper.
  • During this regular service a priest will repeat the words of Jesus, as written in the Bible, and then share bread and wine amongst the congregation, in the same way that Jesus shared bread and wine amongst his disciples. 
• Characteristics of liturgical worship and why they are important to Christians:

  • The people receive forgiveness from God through the actions of a priest. 
  • The people receive the living presence of Jesus in Holy communion. 
  • Bible readings follow the Christian calendar and teach Christian history and faith.
  • There is a worldwide order of service that is familiar to all, even visitors. This creates a sense of community.
  • The ritual has been passed down through generations, giving a sense of tradition.
• • Christians also take part in non-liturgical worship, in which there does not have a set order or ritual.
  • In Nonconformist Churches, such as Methodists or Baptists, those planning the service may choose an order to suit a theme.
  • They place an emphasis on the word of God in the Bible, and although many Churches may celebrate Holy Communion regularly, the service is usually focused on Bible reading and a service based on the readings.
  • The basic structure of the service might remain the same each week, but the preacher may change the order, the number of hymns or types of prayer. 
• Informal worship may depend on people’s spontaneous prayers or sharing of thoughts.
• • Quaker worship is mainly silent, and people speak when they feel God’s spirit moving them to offer thoughts, prayers or a reading from the Bible.
  • Quakers refer to this as quaking.
• Community or house churches meet to eat together and share their faith to recreate what they believe to be the worship of the early Christians.
• • Some informal worship, like that of the Pentecostal Church, is charismatic (that is led by the Holy Spirit) and may involve dancing, clapping, calling out and speaking in tongues.
  • In the Bible, after the ascension, the Holy Spirit is said to have come down to the disciples and caused them to be able to speak and understand different languages. Speaking in tongues refer to this ability.  
• Characteristics of non-liturgical and informal worship and why they are important to Christians:

  • This style of worship follows that of some early Christians.
  • Christians can share personal interpretations of the Bible. Often, reading follow the Christian Calendar.
  • People can take an active part in church by praying aloud or speaking without any formal training.
  • The service may have an emotional impact, with a feeling of personal revelation from God.
• • Private worship allows individuals to spend time with God, either alone or with close friends or family.
  • It may involve a prayer, meditation, studying or meditating on a Bible passage, or using aids to worship such as an icon or a rosary.
• • Communication is essential to any good relationship. Christians communicate with God through prayer.
  • Prayer is communicating with God in silence or aloud, with others or alone.
  • Sometimes Christians say a set prayer before eating a meal to thank God for providing what they need to live.
  • Other Christians might pray spontaneously for their meal using their own words. 
• • Informal prayer is a spontaneous form of worship that often, but not always, performed alone.
  • This kind of prayer might be to say thanks to God for something that has happened in their lives or to ask for help or guidance with a particular problem they are having at that time. 
• • In the Bible, immediately after the Last Supper, Jesus took a walk in the Garden of Gethsemane in order to pray.
  • He prayed to God about how he was upset and worried about what was to come (the crucifixion).
  • He asked his Father if it were possible for him not to have to suffer by being crucified, whilst praying a second time he said, “your will be done”.
  • This passage shows not only that Jesus was willing to follow God’s plan and sacrifice himself for us, but also that the Bible teaches Christians that God listens and answers prayer, albeit, not always in the way that we would hope. 
• • Formal prayer is a traditional prayer that are read or recited from a Christian text, often from the Bible.
  • Many Christian schools often say formal prayers in assembly or before eating at lunchtime, for example Grace, Hail Mary, or The Lord’s Prayer.
• • When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, he answered with the Lord’s Prayer.
  • The Lord’s Prayer reminds Christians the God is the Father of the whole community, not just the individuals'.
  • The Prayer is used often in Christian worship and tends to be prayed out loud by members of the congregation.
  • It is said at Holy Communion, baptisms, marriages, and funerals.  
  • Non-believers can feel its impact in services, it is a prayer that many people in Great Britain learned as children in their families or in school.
  • It can bring a sense of unity and spiritual purpose in society. 
• Importance of formal and informal prayer:

  • Christians believe that God will answer prayer but not always in the way a person would like.
  • Prayer can help someone accept God’s will even if it means suffering.
  • Formal prayer allows modern day Christians not only to connect to others in the community but also to Jesus and the early Christians as they are repeating the words that they once said.
  • Sometimes Christians prefer to find their own way of expressing their needs to God by using informal prayer; they sometimes feel they can open their hearts to God more easily by using their own words.
• • Worship is not just about attending public services; it affects the whole of a Christian’s life.
  • Private worship helps Christians build up a discipline which gives them hope and strength to cope in times of trouble.
  • It encourages a routine that allows time for reflection in a busy day.
  • Through prayer and meditation Christians find peace and a sense of communion with God in their everyday life as a follower of Jesus.
• • Sacraments are holy rituals that outwardly express an inner, spiritual experience.
  • They make visible for believers a special gift of grace.
  • Catholic and Orthodox Christians accept seven sacraments, which they believe to have been initiated by Jesus.
  • Many Protestant churches see baptism and Holy Communion as important rituals because they believe Jesus instructed them to undertake these.
  • Some Churches that practice believer’s baptism consider it an important ceremony but do not refer to it as a ‘sacrament’.
  • Quakers or The Salvation Army, do not use any sacraments.
• Seven sacraments:

  • Baptism
  • Confirmation
  • Holy Communion
  • Marriage
  • Holy Orders
  • Reconciliation
  • Anointing of the sick
• • Sacraments involve symbolic actions, words and physical elements such as water in baptism and bread and wine in Holy Communion.
  • Many Christians believe that sacraments are special rituals which help to strengthen their relationship with God by making him a part of their life.
  • They are important to the Christian community because they affirm that Christians are part of the Body of Christ, the Church, with all its responsibilities.
• • For many Churches baptism is the initiation rite by which people become members of the Christian Church.
  • In baptism the person is formally acknowledged as a child of God and receives God’s saving grace; the person’s sins are forgiven, and he or she enters a new life with Jesus Christ.
• • When John the Baptist baptised Jesus in the Jordan River, two extraordinary things happened that showed God’s approval of his son’s mission (Mark 1:9-11).
  • Jesus’ baptism set an example for his followers to be baptised in order to receive the Holy Spirit and begin a new life in the Christian community.
• The first Christians were often baptised as adults, or whole families were baptised at the same time.
• Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Methodist practice infant baptism.
• • Catholic and Orthodox Christians would say everyone is a descendant of Adam and Eve who committed the first sin.
  • Everyone has a tendency to sin and needs salvation, even a baby. For Catholics and Orthodox Christians infant baptism removes this original sin.
  • At an infant baptism the child is welcomed into the Church as soon as possible, and the parents are able to thank God for their new baby and celebrate the birth with family and friends.
• • Rites vary but the priest or minister says, ‘I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’ while pouring blessed water over the head of the baby.
  • Godparents and parents promise to bring up the child in the Christian faith.
  • Besides water, other symbols are used such as making the sign of the cross on the baby’s forehead, anointing with oil, dressing the child in white and giving the parents a candle lit from the Paschal candle (a large candle blessed and lit every year at Easter).
  • The congregation welcomes the newest member of the community.
• • Some Christians, such a Baptists, think that a baby is too young to understand the meaning of baptism, so people should wait and be baptised when they are old enough to come to a mature decision about their faith.
  • They believe that baptism does not itself save a person; it is someone’s conversion to living a life dedicated to Jesus that is important.
  • Therefore, the believer must be old enough to have come to a mature decision about their faith.
• • Believer’s’ baptism involves full immersion in a pool, symbolising the cleansing of sin and the rising up to a new life with Christ.
  • Rites vary but usually the minister talks about the importance of baptism and asks if the candidates are willing to change their lives.
  • Each person may read a Bible passage and give a brief testimony of their faith in Jesus as their personal saviour.
  • The minister goes into the pool with the person and baptises them ‘in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’.
• Different names for holy communion:

  • Mass
  • Eucharist
  • The Lord’s Supper
  • The Divine Liturgy
  • The Breaking of Bread
• • Holy Communion is the sacrament that uses bread and wine to celebrate the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection from the dead.
  • For Catholics, the sacrifice of Jesus is made present once again during this ritual and made real for believers.
  • For the Churches that do not consider Holy Communion a sacrament it is still a significant ceremony.
  • Many Christians consider it the most important act of worship. It recalls the Last Supper of Jesus as written in (Matthew 16:17-30).
• In the Bible, on the day before Jesus’ crucifixion, Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Jewish festival of Passover by eating a meal together (remember Jesus was a Jew).
• • During the last supper, Jesus took some bread, broke it, and shared it between his disciples saying, “TAKE, EAT, THIS IS MY BODY”, he then did the same with a cup of wine saying, “TAKE, DRINK. THIS IS MY BLOOD, WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR MANY”.
  • In Luke’s Gospel it is also written that Jesus then said, “DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME”.
  • It is for this reason that Christians all around the world celebrate Holy Communion.
• There is a similar pattern in the way most Churches celebrate Holy Communion:

  • The ministry of the Word which focuses on God’s word in the Bible (also called the liturgy of the word)
  • The ministry of Holy Communion which involves offering, consecrating, and sharing bread and wine (also called the liturgy of the Eucharist)
• Catholic Mass:

  Mass begins with a greeting from the priest and prayers of penance and the praise (the ‘Gloria’).
• Catholic Mass: Liturgy of the Word

  • On Sundays there are three readings from the Bible (one from the Old Testament, one from St Paul’s letters and one from the Gospel), a psalm and a homily.
  • People say prayers for the Church, the world, the local community, the sick and the dead. On Sundays this is preceded by the Creed.
• Catholic Mass: Liturgy of the Eucharist

  • Bread and wine are brought to the altar.
  • The priest says the Eucharist Prayer using the words of Jesus at the Last Supper. “Take this, all of you, and eat it: this is my body which has been given up for you”’.
  • He prays over the wine using similar words.
  • The people say the Lord’s Prayer.
  • The priest and congregation give a sign of peace to each other.
  • Members of the congregation give a sign of peace to each other.
  • Members of the congregation come forward to receive communion.
  • The priest blesses the people and tells them.
• • The Catholic Church believe that during mass, the bread and the wine become the actual body and blood of Jesus.
  • This is called Transubstantiation.
  • Christ’s presence is them is known as the ‘real presence’.
  • The Eucharist is the ‘source and summit’ of Christian life (Catechism of the Catholic Church).