Living the Christian Life

• Baptism


  A Christian ceremony that welcomes a person into the Christian community
• Types of Baptism


  • Infant Baptism
  • Believer's Baptism
• Infant Baptism


  Catholics, Orthodox and some Anglican Christians practice this. It removes original sin from the baby, welcomes the baby into the Church, allows parents to thank God for the baby with family and friends present, and is where the God parents and parents will promise to bring the child up in a Christian faith
• Believer's Baptism


  Baptist and Pentecostal Christians practice this because they believe when people are adults they can make their own decision. Christians baptise because in the Bible Jesus says, 'Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit' (Matthew 28:19)
• Non-Liturgical worship


  A form of worship that is not set, and where there can be change. It can be structured, unstructured or spontaneous. It is centred on Bible readings, a sermon, music and prayer, with an emphasis placed on 'following the Spirit'
• In Pentecostal-type churches, there will often be more congregational participation i.e. saying 'Amen' after the leader speaks
• Some Christians find comfort in using words in liturgical worship and others, such as Pentecostals, prefer non-liturgical worship because it allows them to have more freedom to express their worship
• Pentecostal churches often have non-liturgical worship involving clapping or dancing as well as the use of music, emphasising the importance of spreading the Gospel. It can also involve speaking in tongues – this form of worship represents being filled with the Holy Spirit
• Many Christians may worship together at home as a family i.e. saying grace before meals. They may also worship on their own as they pray in private – this is when they can talk to God and think about their faith
• Many churches also have worship in much more informal ways which is based on fun and creativity (craft activities)
• Worship


  Expressing love and respect for, and devotion to, God
• Types of worship


  • Liturgical worship
  • Non-Liturgical worship
• Liturgical worship


  The congregation follow an agreed form of words that will be taken from a service book. It is a formal service that never changes. It is based around sacraments, particularly Holy Communion. Practiced among Anglicans, Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians
• Book of Common Prayer


  The service book used within an Anglican Church. It contains special services for ordaining priests, baptism, wedding and funeral services and the creeds. It contains special prayers for each week of the year
• Most Christians have a formal liturgical service each Sunday, when bread and wine are distributed among the congregation. There will by hymns, a Bible reading and a sermon
• Sacrament


  An important Christian ceremony. An outward sign of an inward blessing
• 7 sacraments


  • Marriage
  • Reconciliation
  • Baptism
  • Eucharist
  • Anointing the Sick
  • Confirmation
  • Holy Orders
• The Catholic and Orthodox Churches recognise all of these. The Church of England agreed 39 Articles of Religion (a historical record of beliefs), in 1562, agreeing to recognise the sacraments, baptism and the Eucharist
• Sacraments of baptism and confirmation

  Take place only once in a Christian's life but are essential to being a member of the Church
• Sacrament of anointing the sick


  Essential for Catholics and the Orthodox when they are very ill, as it ensures that their sins are forgiven so that if they die, they will not be sent to purgatory
• Holy orders


  The sacrament that ordains a man as a priest (or a man or a woman in the Anglican Church) and is important because only priests can administer the sacraments and so without men taking holy orders, there will be no sacraments
• Marriage


  Not an essential sacrament but it is important because it makes God a part of the marriage and gives a couple grace and strength
• Two important parts of sacraments


  • Physical side - this can be felt, touched, smelled or tasted, as, for example the bread and wine in the Eucharist
  • Spiritual side – each sacrament brings spiritual blessing to the person involved
• Pilgrimage


  A special journey to a religious place of significance. Many places of Christian pilgrimage are associated with the life of Jesus or other religious figures
• Jesus went on pilgrimage when he was a young boy to Jerusalem for the Festival of Passover. This is recorded in Luke 2: 41-43
• Reasons Christians go on pilgrimage


  • It helps them become closer to God and adds discipline
  • Some Christians believe they can receive forgiveness by going on pilgrimage and showing God how sorry they are
  • There is hope of being cured from illness or it gives them inner strength to cope with illness or problems in life
• Protestant Reformers oppose pilgrimage as they thought it broke the commandment not to worship idols. For Catholic Christians pilgrimage is very much and important part of their life as they can visit relics and shrines to remember the saints and key places in Jesus' life
• Prayer


  A way of communicating with God through words
• 4 main purposes of prayer


  • To get closer to God and communicate with Him
  • To praise God or thank him for what he has done
  • To ask for God's help
  • To say sorry to God when a person feels they have done something wrong
• Set Prayer


  Most prayers in an Anglican or Catholic Church service are set and formal, and taken from the Book of Common Prayer. This will be used in liturgical worship services or when they are praying at home. They might use this prayer to confess their sins to God or give thanks
• Christians use set prayers during liturgical worship, but Catholic and Orthodox Christians also use set prayers as their personal prayers, which they pray at set times i.e. when they wake up or before they go to bed
• Christians tend to use The Lord's Prayer found in Matthew 6: 5-14 many times in their personal contacts with God as this is what Jesus asked them to do. It contains many of the key Christian beliefs about God. It is a special prayer because it covers the needs of all believers
• Eucharist


  A service of thanksgiving, in which Christians remember the last supper, the sacrificial death and the resurrection of Jesus. It is celebrated using bread and wine; also called Holy Communion, Mass, the Lord's Supper, and the Breaking of Bread
• Transubstantiation


  Catholic and Orthodox Christians believe that the bread and wine change to become the actually body and blood of Jesus, when it is blessed
• Other Christians, including Anglicans


  Believe the bread and wine are simply symbolic of Jesus' body and blood to help believer's remember his death
• Catholics believe they should receive the bread and wine at least once a week and some receive it every day. Protestants may take the bread and wine less often, perhaps once every few weeks. Some do not receive it at all, for example members of the Salvation Army
• Christians take it because Jesus says in the Bible to take it to remember him. (Luke 22:19-20)
• Informal Prayer


  Most Christians use these in their devotions. They will express their inner most thoughts, using their own language. This type of prayer features in Evangelical and charismatic churches, here prayers are not written down but are more spontaneous because they are led by the Holy Spirit
• Christians who are used to non-liturgical worship tend to use informal prayers as their personal prayer - although all Christians use the set form of the Lord's Prayer on all sorts of occasions. These Christians also tend to pray at set times, or when the thought of God enters their mind, or when they become aware of someone's suffering
• Most Christians will use both set and informal prayer to communicate with God. The Lord's Prayer is used regularly in most denominations, as Christians like to follow the example set by Jesus. Christians who prefer to pray using set prayers find comfort in using words that have been said throughout history and that have been authorised by their Church. Reciting these aloud as a community also increases a sense of shared belief and unity. Christians who prefer praying informally might particularly appreciate the personal nature of communicating how they are feeling with God. These Christians also value praying aloud in groups, and who with them will often say 'Amen' after an individual has prayed to show that they agree