Which of the following are meanings of the word "church"?

Which word describes the Christian denominations in which authority is generally based on the Bible, rather than Church tradition/teaching. (eg Anglican, Methodist, Baptist).

Which word describes the tradition/denomination within the Christian Church which is led by the Pope?

Which word describes the denomination/tradition of the Church popular in some parts of Eastern Europe. There are two main churches – Greek and Russian.

Worship: Showing adoration and reverence; offering praise to God.

Which of the words in the definition links to "worth" and means to recognise someone's value?

Worship: Showing adoration and reverence; offering praise to God.

Which of the words in the definition means showing a very deep level of respect for someone?

Worship: Showing adoration and reverence; offering praise to God.

Which of the words in the definition means showing a very deep level of love to someone?

Worship can be private or public, in a church or at home.

Worship might include prayer, Bible readings, singing hymns, preaching, sharing food, going on a pilgrimage, celebrating festivals or using religious art, music or drama.

Which of the following statements is the most accurate description of when Christians worship?

Which of the following is the BEST explanation for why Christians worship mainly on a Sunday?

You can effectively answer a question on why Christians worship by just using the definition (to show adoration and reverence; to offer praise to God)

However, if you were going to learn one more reason, which one would you choose?

What kind of worship am I describing?

A church service which follows a set structure or ritual. It means services which follow a set pattern of prayers and readings, usually found in a printed book, for example, the weekly Catholic mass. It is led by a priest and the congregation (the people gathered to worship) participate together, repeating key information and singing hymns. Volunteers read out different Old and New Testament readings (which are different each week but planned out in advance) and the priest reads the gospel then delivers a sermon based on it, usually linked to current world events.

What kind of worship am I describing?

A service which does not follow a set text or ritual; sometimes spontaneous or charismatic. For example, Baptist services always include prayers, Bible readings and occasionally sharing bread and wine, but these elements can be tailored to suit different needs e.g. choose a Bible reading based on a topical theme or say a prayer in the minister’s own words rather than from a book.

What kind of worship am I describing?

A service which does not follow a set text or ritual; sometimes spontaneous or charismatic. For example, Quaker worship is spontaneous because they sit in silence until they feel moved by God to offer thoughts, prayers or a reading from the Bible.

What kind of worship am I describing?

A service which does not follow a set text or ritual; sometimes spontaneous or charismatic. For example, Pentecostal worship is charismatic (led by the Holy Spirit) and may involve dancing, clapping, calling out and speaking in tongues.

Which of the following denominations perform non-liturgical/informal worship?

Private worship involves ANY kind of worship where an individual gives praise and worship to God either completely on their own or just with the family inside the home.

Which of the following actions would therefore be examples of private worship?

The relationship between worship and prayer is tricky. Which of the following statements is correct?

Which of the following benefits of liturgical worship do you think is the strongest?

Which of the following benefits of non-liturgical worship do you think is the strongest?

These are prayers written throughout the centuries which many Christians worldwide use (eg The Lord’s Prayer).

Spontaneous prayers spoken from the heart which are personal and unique to the person/people at the time.

Prayer is communicating with God in silence or aloud, with others or alone. People can pray either kneeling, sitting or standing.

Some Christians, including Catholics, pray with a set of rosary beads which involves saying a series of different set prayers, including the Lord’s Prayer, while meditating on the life and death of Jesus.

As a form of private worship, prayer helps Christians build up a discipline which gives them strength to cope in times of trouble, encourages time for reflection in a busy day, helps them find peace and feel closer to God.

Prayer means asking for something and expecting God to give it; like Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane before his death, people pray to get God to change his mind about something rather than allowing them to suffer.

Prayer isn’t as simple as asking for something and expecting God to give it; like Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane before his death, prayer is sometimes more about accepting God’s will even if it means suffering. This is what makes prayer about listening as well as speaking.

PACT is a good acronym of remembering that prayer is to praise God, ask for help or guidance, confess and say sorry for sins and thank God

The Lord’s Prayer goes as follows: Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

How much of it do you think you can remember off by heart?

Which TWO of the following arguments for the importance of the Lord's Prayer do you find the strongest?

Set prayers include not only the Lord’s Prayer but many other prayers that have been written down and said by more than one person. For example, some Catholics say Grace before meals which involves saying “Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts, which we are about to receive”

What are their advantages?

Informal prayer means praying in a person’s own words. For example, they may feel suddenly moved to silently say “thank you God for this delicious burger, I’m so lucky!” before they eat it.

What are their advantages?

Most Christians believe that sacraments help strengthen a person’s relationship with God by making him a part of their lives at important times

Most Christians believe that sacraments remind Christians that they are part of the ‘body of Christ’ or the ‘people of God’, the church, and Jesus is therefore present and active among them and inspiring them

These Christians accept seven sacraments, which they believe to have been instituted by Jesus (this means he introduced them in some way) and are seen as ways of receiving God’s grace from birth until death:

Baptism (washing away of sin and welcoming to the church) Confirmation - when a teenager gets to confirm for themselves what happen during their baptism as a baby Holy Communion/Eucharist (bread and wine) Marriage OR Holy Orders (becoming a priest) Reconciliation (receiving God’s forgiveness) The Anointing of the Sick (during illness and before death)

These Christians only see Baptism and Eucharist as sacraments as only they were explicitly instituted by Jesus because he specifically told his disciples to do them. Some go further and say baptism and eucharist are important practices (as they are instructions from Jesus), but they are not sacraments as they don’t bring spiritual grace.

These Christians do not recognise any sacraments at all because most of them are not mentioned in the Bible. They also believe that God can speak directly to people - the outward signs of sacraments are unnecessary and may even distract people from true beliefs

For which denomination would you use this quotation: “The seven sacraments touch all the stages and all the important moments of Christian life”

What is baptism?

What is believers' baptism?

What is infant baptism?

Why is baptism significant to Christians?

Which Christians practise infant baptism during which holy water is poured over the baby’s head, parents and godparents promise to bring up the child within the faith and also make promises on behalf of the baby including to believe in God and reject Satan

Which Christians use the words “I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" as part of the ceremony, and link the use of water to the washing away of sins

Which Christians practise believers’ baptism which involves the following: the minister talks about the importance of baptism and asks the person if they are willing to change their lives; the person will read a Bible passage of their choice and then give a brief testimony of their faith in Jesus as their personal saviour; the minister goes into the baptistry (pool) with the person and the person is fully immersed in the pool, symbolising the cleansing from sin and the rising up to new life in Christ

Which Christians practise baptism in the way that they do because they believe in washing away original sin and bringing salvation to the baby as soon as possible. They also believe baptism welcomes the child into the church as soon as possible so parents can thank God for their new baby and also celebrate the baby’s birth with their family and friends

Which Christians practise baptism in the way that they do because they believe that a baby is too young to understand the meaning of baptism; people should wait until they are old enough to come to a mature decision for themselves. Also baptism itself doesn’t save a person (and they do not believe in original sin) rather it is someone’s conversion to living a life dedicated to Jesus that is important

Literally 'thanksgiving'; a sacrament in which the death and resurrection of Jesus are celebrated, using bread and wine.

You can explain a lot about the Eucharist just from it's definition: it literally means 'thanksgiving'; it celebrates Jesus' death and resurrection; it uses bread and wine.

However, if you were going to learn two more reasons for its significance, which two would you choose?

Which Christians celebrate the Eucharist every week as the most important part of Sunday Mass. Key features include:

The priest will consecrate (make holy) the bread and wine at the front of the church on the altar (a table), often using a large version of the host (bread) so everyone can see it. Then people line up and take a smaller host each and a sip of wine from a large chalice (glass). The priest will say “the Body of Christ” or “the Blood of Christ” and the person says Amen.

Which Christians celebrate it less frequently than weekly, as the Bible is considered the most important element of worship. When they do celebrate:

The bread and wine are passed around the group rather than delivered from the front, making it more like a shared meal. The wine will be put into smaller glasses and the bread (from a larger loaf) will be torn into smaller pieces.

Which Christians use bread and wine (or a non-alcoholic substitute) as part of their worship?

Which Christians base what they do on what they believe Jesus did and said at the Last Supper?

For which Christians does the sacrifice of Jesus is made present once again during this ritual and made real for believers. This is because the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus. It is a divine mystery how it happens (called transubstantiation) but they believe that Jesus is physically present in the bread and wine. By receiving the bread and wine they believe they become present in a mystical way at the death and resurrection of Christ which saves them.

For which Christians do the bread and wine remain symbols of Jesus’ sacrifice and help them to reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection for their lives today. For them the importance of Holy Communion is that it is a reminder of Jesus words and actions at the Last Supper, specifically ‘do this in remembrance of me’. Sharing the bread and wine helps them remember Jesus’ sacrifice and reflect on whether or not their own actions will enable them to receive the gift of heaven that his sacrifice made possible. Jesus becomes spiritually present within them, helping them follow his example in their lives.

For which Christians is the Eucharist important because it remembers Jesus death and resurrection, including what a sacrifice this was, and what it means for them today in terms of gaining salvation (being able to enter heaven) and making Jesus present in some way

A pilgrimage is a journey made for religious reasons, alone or with other Christians, to a sacred place. The believer makes a physical journey but it is also a spiritual journey towards God. It is itself an act of worship as believers show devotion to God by choosing to go. While on pilgrimage there are usually many opportunities for prayer and worship. Some pilgrimages involve visiting busy shrines connected with famous saints; others involve going alone to a remote place to pray and reflect.

Pilgrimage is not compulsory in Christianity but it can help a person to:

A place of pilgrimage founded by St Columba in the fourth century.

A place of pilgrimage where the Virgin Mary appeared to St Bernadette in a series of visions and it is claimed that miraculous healings have taken place.

If you could only learn two beliefs about Lourdes, what would they be?

If you could only learn two beliefs about Iona, what would they be?

A festival is a day or period of celebration for religious reasons. They have an important role in helping Christians remember the major events in their religion and to plan public, especially liturgical, worship.

Many Christians celebrate the same cycle of festivals each year, called the liturgical calendar. By living through the events of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection, Christians remember the central teaching of their faith - God gave his only Son to save them.

An example of a festival

An example of worship

An example of a sacrament

The festival/celebration to remember the birth of Jesus. The UK celebrates it on just one day, but the Christian festival lasts 12 days until the Epiphany which celebrates the visit of the three kings

Festival/celebration of the ascension of Jesus

Festival/celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit

Festival/celebration of the resurrection of Jesus; the season ends with Pentecost which remembers the coming of the Holy Spirit to earth following the ascension.

Remembers the incarnation, the belief that God became human in Jesus.

Trees and homes are decorated with lights (representing Jesus as the light coming into the world of darkness) and nativity scenes (showing the baby Jesus being born in poverty - this links to the focus on charity )

Carol services include readings from the Bible about God promising to send a saviour

Children act out the nativity at school and church

Christmas cards and presents are shared, recalling the gifts of the three kings to the baby Jesus

It is seen as a time of peace and good will and many churches raise money for charity

The most important Christian festival as it celebrates Jesus’ resurrection from the dead

The week before it is called Holy Week and it remembers the last week of Jesus’ life including his Last Supper on Maundy Thursday and his crucifixion on Good Friday: Christians reenact these events

Catholic churches have a service called the Vigil late at night on the Saturday; it begins in darkness but gradually the church is filled with candle light as candles are lit from the large Paschal Candle which is a symbol of the risen Jesus

On the Sunday the churches are filled with flowers and special hymns about the resurrection are sung.

Children receive eggs.

Which of the following would you say is the strongest argument for Christmas being more important than Easter?

Which of the following would you say is the strongest argument for Easter being more important than Christmas?