Christian practices worship & prayer

• Liturgical worship - Follows the same set pattern led by a Priest
• Non-liturgical worship - Does not have to be a set pattern
• Private worship - Allows individual to spend time with God alone or with close family and friends. May involve prayer, meditation, studying Bible.
• Informal worship - Often depends on people's spontaneous prayers or sharing of thoughts. E.g. Quaker worship, Pentecostal Churches.
• Liturgical worship - Ritual has been passed down through generations. E.g. recieving forgiveness, Bible readings.
• Non-liturgical & informal - Christians can share personal interpretations of Bible, take an active part in church.
• Adoration prayer - praising God and showing your dedication and faith
• Thanksgiving prayer - Thanking God for His gifts
• Supplication prayer - Asking God for help
• Confession prayer - saying sorry and asking forgiveness
• "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us"
• Sacrament - An outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual blessing
• Baptism - A ceremony in which a baby or adult is welcomed into the church
• "Go and make disciples of all nations"
• Some churches would rather baptise adults so that their relationship with God would be stronger
• Water is used for baptism to symbolise the washing away of our original sin
• Some Christians agree with infant baptism because it washes away the original sin and allows parents to thank God for their new baby.
• Some Christians agree with adult baptism because the person would be old enough to understand what baptism is and would be able to make a mature decision about their faith
• Importance of the Lords prayer:

  • Reminds that God is Father of the whole community
  • Reminds Christians must forgive to be forgiven
  • Brings sense of unity
  • It's is a 'set prayer'
• "I am the way, the truth and the life"
• Eucharist - A central Christian ritual commemorating Jesus' last supper
• The Eucharist is the "source and summit of the Christian life"
• Pilgrimage:

  • Lourdes
  • Iona
• Christians go on pilgrimage to:

  • Grow closer to God
  • To be forgiven
  • Reflect on their lives
  • Pray for something special
  • Seek sure for illness
  • Help other pilgims who are disabled or ill
  • Experience a holy place
  • Meet others who share a faith
• Lourdes is where Mary appeared to Bernadette
• Lourdes has the healing water
• The Iona community:

  • Holds daily services
  • Lead a seven mile hike to holy and historic spots
  • Conduct workshops
  • Have pilgrims help with daily chores while staying
  • Have times for silence, reflection, meditation
• The Great Commission - Jesus' instruction to his followers to spread his teachings
• Missionary - A person sent on a religious mission
• Evangelism - Spreading the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness
• Pentecost - Early disciples recieved the Holy Spirit, then days after Jesus ascended to heaven, this gave them the gifts necessary to carry out the Great Commission
• The Alpha Course - An introduction for those interested in learning about Christianity
• The persecution of Christians ranges from:

  • Forcing them to pay extra tax
  • Not allowing good jobs
  • Not allowing them to build churches
  • Murder
• "Rejoice, and be glad, because your reward will be great in heaven"
• "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it"
• The rich man and Lazarus - A rich man ended up in hell after ignoring a beggar. The beggar went to heaven.
• The good samaritan - Teaches the importance of caring for all people, even those you wouldn't normally be friends with.
• "Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and truth"