6 - Worship

• Holy Communion 


  The central act of Christian worship which remembers the Last Supper of Jesus
• Holy Communion - Names

  • Eucharist means 'thanksgiving'. They are giving thanks for his death which saved them from sin
  • Roman Catholics call it mass
  • Anglicans call it Holy Communion
  • Nonconformists call it the Lord's Supper
• Holy Communion - Names

  • Bread is blessed by the vicar repeating the words of Jesus at the Last Supper ('Take this and eat it, this is my body... Do this in remembrance of me')
  • In Roman Catholic and Anglican services, bread is a thin wafer called the host. Worshippers come to the altar. The priest give the bread saying 'the body of Christ'
  • Nonconformist churches use one large loaf of bread. Small pieces of bread are brought to them in their seats. They all eat at the same time.
• Holy Communion - Wine

  • Wine is blessed by the vicar repeating the words of Jesus at the Last Supper ('This is my blood... Drink it in remembrance of me')
  • In Anglican services, they go to the altar. All drink from the same cup (chalice)
  • Nonconformists give everyone a small cup but share wine from the same bottle
• Holy Communion - Meaning

  • Catholics believe the bread and the wine actually become the body and blood of Christ (transubstantiation)
  • Nonconformists believe the bread and wine don't change. They are just symbols to remind people of the death of Christ.
• Worship - Paying honour and respect to God
• Individual or Community -

  • Christians worship God as individuals (private) or as a community (public)
• Formal or Informal -

  • Roman Catholic and Anglican churches prefer formal worship
  • Formal worship is liturgical worship as it follows the liturgy (an ordered pattern of worship)
  • It includes written prayers, or the use of a service book, and has established rituals which are traditional actions that believers do
  • Nonconformists prefer informal worship
  • Worshippers are free to worship in the way they think God wants them to
  • Informal worship may include lots of singing, dancing, and speaking in tongues