worship and practice

• Altar


  • Raised structure on which, gifts sacrifices to a God are made (the bread and the wine)
• Tabernacle


  • The place where 'blessed' bread and wine are kept after the celebration of mass
• Font


  • Hold holy water, for baptism
• Lectern


  • Reading desk or stand for the priest
• Stained glass windows


  • Often depicting biblical stories or religious figures
• Organ


  • Played in a church accompanied with singing hymns
• External Features of a Church

  • Steeple and spire = pointing to God
  • Dome = good acoustics so you can hear the priest clearly
  • Church bell = call to prayer
  • Graveyard = honour the dead, in a holy place
• Often churches are in the shape of a cross = remembering Jesus is the Church
• The church


  The holy people of god, also called the Body of Christ, among whome christ is present and active
• The church


  A building in which christians worship
• Main things the church does


  • Provides location where Christians from the local community can meet, worship, pray and socialise
  • Education about christianity
  • Provides activities for young people
  • Supports local projects such as food banks
  • Provides social services such as schooling and medical care
  • Helps those in need
  • Campaigns for justice
• Types of worship


  • Liturgical
  • Non liturgical
  • Private
  • Informal
  • Formal
• Liturgical worship


  Worship which follows the same set pattern each time
• Non-liturgical worship


  Worship does not have to be in a set order or ritual
• Private worship


  When individuals spend time with god weather alone or with close friends and family
• Informal worship


  This form of worship may depend on peoples spontaneous prayers or sharing of thoughts
• Formal worship


  Structured and organized religious services or ceremonies that follow a specific liturgy or tradition
• Elements of formal worship

  • Prayer
  • Scripture readings
  • Sermons or homilys
  • Hymns or worship songs
• Prayer


  Communication with god
• Types of prayer


  • Set prayers
  • Informal prayer
• Prayer is communicating with God in silence or aloud using set or informal prayers
• Sometimes, Christians say a set prayer before eating a meal to thank God for providing what they need to live
• Postures for prayer


  • Kneeling down, sometimes with hands pressed together
  • Standing (Orthodox)
  • Sat down (Nonconformists)
• Aids for prayer


  • Rosary (Catholics)
  • Icons (Orthodox Christians)
• Worship


  Not just about attending services, it affects the whole of a Christian's life
• Through prayer and meditation, Christians find peace and a sense of communion with God in their everyday life as followers of Jesus
• Jesus: '"When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private."'
• The lord's prayer


  Gives individual Christians a pattern for how to pray as it combines giving praise to God and asking for one's needs
• The lords prayer is believed that prayer is only effective if the person's relationship with others is right
• Sacrament


  Rites and rituals through which the believer receives a special gift of grace; they are an 'outward sign of an inward grace'
• Grace


  God's free gift of his unconditional love to the believer
• Catholic sacraments


  • Baptism
  • Eucharist
  • Reconciliation
  • Confirmation
  • Holy Orders
  • Marriage
  • Anointing of the sick
• Protestant Christians believe that there are only two sacraments: Baptism and the Eucharist because these were founded by Christ in the gospels (they believe that the other 5 were not)
• Christians agree that the sacraments are not merely religious gestures or actions. Within each sacrament there are special signs and symbols used to indicate the reality that GRACE is given to the believer
• Baptism


  Marks the start of the Christian life, giving the strength needed for the journey ahead
• Confirmation


  Reinforces baptism, as now those being confirmed make the commitment themselves
• The Eucharist


  The only sacrament intended to be received frequently as it unites them with the risen Christ
• Reconciliation


  Enables Christians to think about how they have fallen short of God's will for them. They show their penitence (regret for sins) through confessing their sins and performing a special task set for them by the priest and they are assured of forgiveness through the priest's words of absolution
• Marriage


  Believed to unite the couple with eachother and with God in what is to be a lifelong loving relationship
• Healing


  Given at times of serious or prolonged illness, not necessarily just when a person is dying. It is believed to give strength and peace of mind. However, when given to those who are dying, it is intended to prepare them for death by enabling them to accept peacefully and trustingly what will come