Chapter 2 Flashcards
Christian Practices
What is Worship?
-Worship is the act of religious praise, honour or devotion. It’s a way for Christians to show their deep love and honour to God.
Why do Christians worship?
- To praise and thank God
- To ask for forgiveness
- To seek God’s help for themselves or others
- To deepen their relationship with God and strengthen their faith
What are the 3 types of worship?
Liturgical Worship - Church service that follows a set structure or ritual
Non-Liturgical Worship - A service that doesn’t follow a set text or ritual
Informal Worship - A type of non-liturgical worship that is “spontaneous” or “charismatic” in nature
What form does Liturgical Worship take?
- takes place in a church
- priest leads the congregation and may perform symbolic actions
- formal prayers with set responses
- Bible passages are read out, there may be a sermon
- music and hymns
Why is liturgical worship important to Christians?
- Worldwide set order for service that is familiar to everyone
- ritual passed down through generations gives a sense of tradition
- Bible readings follow the Christian calendar and teach Christian history and faith
What form does non-liturgical worship take?
- takes place in a church
- often focused on bible readings followed by a sermon
- may also have prayers and hymns but there is no set order, the number and type can change from week to week
Why is non-liturgical worship important to Christians?
- Services can be planned and ordered to suit a certain theme
- non-conformist churches place an emphasis on the word of God in the bible
What form does informal worship take?
- Community or house churches meet in private homes and share food
- Quaker worship in mainly silent, people speak when moved by God to offer their thoughts or read from the Bible
- “Charismatic” worship may involve dancing, clapping, calling out and speaking in tongues
Why is informal worship important to Christians?
- The style of worship in house churches is similar to the worship of early Christians
- People can share readings and prayers and can take an active part in church by calling out or speaking without formal training
- service may have an emotional impact with a feeling of personal revelation from God
What is prayer?
Communicating with God, in silence or through words of praise, thanksgiving or confession, or requests for God’s help or guidance.
Why is prayer important?
- Encourages reflection in the middle of a busy life
- gives strength in times of trouble
- gives a sense of peace
- enables Christians to talk and listen to God
- helps Christians to keep a close relationship with God
- helps Christians to accept God’s will even if it means suffering
Why is the lord’s prayer important to Christians?
- Its a model of good prayer
- Reminds them to forgive others in order to be forgiven
- Reminds them that God is the father of the whole Christian community
What is a sacrament?
holy rituals through which believers receive a special gift of grace.
What is Baptism?
Ritual through which a person becomes a member of the church. It involves the use of water to symbolise the washing away of sin.
What is infant baptism?
For babies and young children. Believers’ baptism is for people who are old enough to understand the significance of the ritual.
Through baptism a person…
- Is cleansed of sin
- receives god’s saving grace and the holy spirit
- becomes a child of God
- becomes a member of Christian church
- Imitates Jesus’ baptism by John the baptist
Why is infant baptism important?
- Removes original sin
- Allows child to be welcomed into church as soon as possible
- The parents can thank God for their new baby and celebrate with family and friends
What happens during infant baptism?
- Priest pours blessed water over baby’s head and says “i baptise you in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit”
- God parents and parents promise to bring up the child as a Christian
- Child is welcomed into the Christian community.
Why is believers baptism important?
- People should be old enough to consciously make a mature decision about their faith
- The decision to live a life dedicated to Jesus is what saves a person, rather than the baptism itself
What happens during Believers baptism?
- Person is fully immersed in a pool which symbolises cleansing from sin and rising to new life in Christ
- When asked whether they are willing to change their lives, the person gives a brief testimony of their faith in Jesus
- The person is baptised “in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit”
What is holy communion?
Holy communion (Eucharist) is the sacrament that uses bread and wine to celebrate the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and his resurrections -It recalls the last supper of Jesus, using his words and actions
What are the differences in holy communion for diff denominations?
Catholics, Orthodox Christians and some Anglicans believe bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. This means Jesus is fully present in the bread and wine
Protestant Christians celebrate holy communion as a reminder of the last supper. They don’t believe the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. Instead the bread and wine remain symbols of Jesus’ sacrifice, which helps believers to reflect on its meaning today.