Christian: practices

• Worship

  acts of religious praise, honour or devotion
• Private worship

  When believers praise or honour God in their own home
• Why do Christians worship?

  - praise and thank God

  - ask for forgiveness

  - seek God's help for themselves or others

  - deepen their relationship with God + strengthen their faith
• What is liturgical worship?

  church service that follows a set structure or ritual
• Where does liturgical worship take place and what happens?

  - takes place in church

  - priest leads congregation, may perform symbolic actions

  - formal prayers with set response

  - Bible passages read out, may be a sermon

  - music and hymns
• Examples of Liturgical worship:

  Eucharist for Catholics, Orthodox and Anglican Churches
• Why is liturgical worship important for Christians?

  - service is familiar to everyone > unity

  - traditional > ritual passed down through generations
• Where does non-liturgical worship take place and what happens?

  - takes place in church

  - often focused on Bible readings followed by a sermon

  - may have prayers + hymns but no set order
• Non-lithurgical worship


  service that does not follow a set text or ritual
• Examples of non-liturgical worship:

  services in non-conformist churches > Methodist, Baptist, United Reformed
• Why is non-liturgical worship important for Christians?

  - service can be planned for specific events

  - non-conformist churches place emphasis on word of God in Bible
• Informal worship


  type of non-liturgical worship, sometimes 'spontaneous' or 'charismatic' in nature
• Where does informal worship take place and what happens?

  - private homes

  - Quaker worship > silent, talk when moved by God or to red bible

  - 'charismatic' worship > dancing, clapping, calling out + speaking in tongues
• Examples of informal worship:

  - Community or house churches

  - Quaker worship

  - charismatic worship of the Pentecostal Church
• Why is informal worship important for Christians?

  - style of worship in house churches similar to worship of early Christians

  - service may have emotional impact with a feeling of personal revelation from God
• Prayer

  communicating with God silently or through words of praise, thanksgiving or confession, or requests for God's help or guidance
• Set prayers


  - Prayers written down and said more than once by more than one person

  - e.g. Lord's payer
• Informal prayer


  Prayer made up by an individual using his or her own words to communicate with God
• Why is prayer important?

  - Christians can talk and listen to God

  - gives strength in times of trouble

  - deepens relationship with God

  - brings sense of peace

  - helps Christians to accept God's will even if it means suffering
• Lord's prayer

  - prayer Jesus taught his disciples when asked how to pray

  - model of good prayer > combines praise to God + asking for ones needs

  - reminds Christians to forgive others so they can be forgiven > prayer only effective if peoples relationships with others are right
• sacraments

  holy rituals where believers receive a special gift of grace
• baptism

  - ritual where person becomes a member of the church

  - uses water to symbolise the washing away of sin
• Infant Baptism

  Who:

  - babies + young children

  
  

  practised by:

  - Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Methodist and United Reformed Christians

  
  

  Reasons why:

  - removes original sin

  - allows child to be welcomed into Church asap

  - parents can thank God for new baby

  
  

  What happens:

  - priest/minister pours blessed water over baby's head

  - Godparents + parents promised to bring up child as Christian

  - child is welcomed into christian community
• Believer's Baptism

  Who:

  - people old enough to understand the significance of ritual

  
  

  Practised by:

  - baptists

  - pentecostalists

  
  

  Reasons why:

  - older person can make mature decision about their faith

  - live a life dedicated to Jesus is what saves a person, rather than baptised itself

  
  

  What happens:

  - person full immersed in pool, symbolises cleansing from sin

  - person gives brief testimony of their faith to Jesus

  - person is baptised 'in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy spirit
• Catholic and Orthodox sacraments

  - baptism

  - confirmation

  - holy communion

  - marriage

  - holy orders

  - reconciliation

  - anointing of the sick
• Protestant Sacraments

  - Baptism

  - holy communion
• Baptism means a person..

  - is cleansed of sin

  - becomes a child of God

  - becomes member of Christian Church

  - imitates Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist

  - enters new life with Christ in Christian community

  - receives God's saving grace and the Holy Spirit
• Holy Communion (Eucharist)


  - sacrament that uses bread + wine to celebrate sacrifice of Jesus on cross and his resurrection

  - Catholics, Orthodox Christians + some Anglicans believe bread + wine is body + blood of Christ

  - Protestant Christians celebrate HC as a reminder of the Last Supper > DO NOT believe bread + wine is body + blood of Jesus but symbolises Jesus' sacrifice
• Impact of Holy Communion on individuals

  - christians receive God's grace

  - strengthen their faith

  - become closer to god
• Impact of Holy communion in communites

  - brings community of believers together by sharing bread and wine

  - provides support + encouragement to those going through difficult time
• Impact of Holy communion in wider society

  - HC acts as a call to love others in practical ways

  - encourages Christians to want equality and justice for all

  - churches collect money during the service to help support those in need e.g. poor or homeless
• Pilgrimage


  journey made by a believer to holy site
• Why go on a pilgrimage?

  - grow closer to God

  - strengthen faith in God

  - be forgiven for sin

  - reflect on one's life

  - pray for something special

  - thank god for a blessing

  - seek a cure for illness

  - help other pilgrims who are disabled or ill

  - experience a holy place

  - meet others who share the same faith
• Lourdes

  - France

  - Girl called Bernadette said to have many visions of Mary

  - Mary told Bernadette to dig in ground > girl found water

  - water is said to have healing properties

  - Pilgrims go to Lourdes so they can bathe in water, pray for healing/forgiveness

  - busy with crowds
• Iona


  - Scotland

  - where St Columba established a monastic community > now there is an ecumenical centre where pilgrims cans stay

  - quiet, peaceful, place of beauty

  - Pilgrims spend time praying, reading bible
• festival


  day or period of celebration for religious reasons
• Christmas

  - commemorates the incarnation of Jesus

  - lights: Jesus is light coming into world of darkness

  - nativity scenes: baby Jesus born into poverty

  - carol services: Bible readings about God's promise of a saviour and events if Jesus' birth

  - charity: time of peace and goodwill > God gave humanity gift of Jesus
• Easter

  - celebrates Jesus' resurrection

  - Holy week: remembers events leading up to Jesus' crucifixion

  - Good Friday: day Jesus was crucified

  - Saturday night: churches hold special service to celebrate Jesus' resurrection

  - Easter Sunday: churches filled with flowers and special hymns sung to rejoice resurrection
• Church

  - holy people of God

  - building where Christians worship
• individual churches help local community by:

  - educating people on Christianity

  - having prayer and worship meetings

  - providing activities for younger people

  - being a place where Christians can socialise and have spiritual guidance