Christian life

• Worship


  A Christian's way of expressing their love of, respect for, and devotion to God
• Christian Denominations have Different Forms of Worship

  • Anglican
  • Catholic
  • Orthodox
  • Methodist
  • Quakers
  • Evangelical Churches (e.g. Pentecostals)
• Sunday is the Lord's Day, when Christians celebrate the Sabbath (the holy day of rest)
• Most churches have their main service on a Sunday morning
• Elements of Christian worship

  • Prayers
  • Readings from the Bible
  • Sermon
  • Eucharist
• Liturgical worship


  Worship that follows a set structure and order
• Anglican and Catholic Eucharist services

  1. Confession of sin and request for God's mercy

  2. Readings (including one gospel reading) and sermon

  3. Recitation of the Nicene Creed

  4. Prayers over bread and wine

  5. Congregation says the Lord's Prayer and shares the peace

  6. Receiving the bread and wine
• Non-liturgical worship


  Worship that does not follow a set structure
• Quaker worship


  Worshippers sit together in silence, free to pray or speak out loud
• Methodist services


  1. Hymns, readings, sermon, prayers

  2. Eucharist, but not every week
• Evangelical/Pentecostal worship


  1. Spontaneous, inspired by the Spirit

  2. May include praying, clapping, dancing, shouting, speaking in tongues
• Some Christians prefer the freedom of less-structured worship, while others view it as unsuitable for the level of respect that religious services require
• Many Christians worship both publicly and privately
• Private worship can help Christians keep God in mind throughout their everyday lives and feel a better connection with God
• Types of private worship

  • Saying grace before meals
  • Singing worship songs with family
  • Reading the Bible
  • Praying
• Prayer


  How Christians communicate with God, through both talking and listening and being open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit
• Prayer is a two-way method of communication that gives Christians comfort as they feel that God is listening and may send messages back
• Jesus spoke often about the importance of prayer, as he felt it deepened a person's relationship with God
• Many Christians believe that prayer can bring them closer to God
• Types of Christian prayer

  • Formal written prayers
  • Informal personal prayers
• Lord's Prayer


  The prayer that Jesus taught his followers when they asked him to pray
• Components of formal and informal Christian prayers

  • Adoration - Praising God
  • Confession - Saying sorry
  • Thanksgiving - Thanking God
  • Supplication - Asking for something
  • Intercession - Praying for someone
• The five forms of prayer can collectively be called ACTS and I
• The Lord's Prayer contains all four themes of ACTS
• The Lord's Prayer is used in many different types of worship across numerous denominations
• Sacraments play a key role in worship and belief for many Christians
• Sacraments believed in by different Christian denominations

  • Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox Churches believe in seven sacraments
  • Most Protestants only accept baptism and the Eucharist as sacraments
  • Quakers and Salvation Army don't celebrate any sacraments
• Baptism


  A sacrament where someone becomes a member of God's family and is welcomed to the Church
• Baptism practices in different Christian denominations

  • Babies are baptised in Anglican, Catholic and Methodist churches
  • Adults are baptised by total immersion in Baptist and Pentecostal churches
• Eucharist


  Where Christians remember the Last Supper with bread and wine
• Beliefs about the Eucharist in different Christian denominations

  • Roman Catholics believe in transubstantiation (bread and wine become flesh and blood of Christ)
  • Lutherans, Methodists and Anglicans believe in real presence of Christ in the bread and wine
  • Baptists view the bread and wine as symbols