RE Coursework

Option 1 - A Place of Christian Worship

Introduction

This coursework is about the place of Christian worship, and that is the Church. This project is split into 2 sections: facts about the Church, descriptions of the 10 main features in a church, and the role of a priest/vicar. The second part refers to the question, “You do not have to go to church to be a good Christian?” to be answered with five arguments for and five arguments against this question and with my own viewpoint.

Section A

Facts about the Church

What is a church? People just think it is a building for Christians, but that is not entirely true. The closest translation of "Church" is from the Greek word "Ekklesia" and it means the "Lords House"; this was used to describe a place of Christian worship. Church can be attended by anyone, not just Christians. They come to worship Jesus and pray to God and to give thanks, to celebrate, or to request help. Celebrations are also held in the Church, as well as choirs and religious singing. The church is a unique design and a parish church is a cross-shaped building.

How did the church begin? It all began after Jesus ascended. The twelve disciples met every day to talk about him, but no one really knew what to do. Jesus had been their friend and their guide and now they felt lost and frightened without him. On one particular day they were all together in one room praying and sitting quietly when, all of a sudden it felt like there was a strong wind blowing. It wasn’t from outside but from inside. Then a fire appeared floating in the air in the middle of the room, and little flames came out of the fire and touched each person. The fire and the wind were from Jesus and it meant they were being filled with God's Spirit, and they were no longer frightened. They began to talk in lots of different languages, as God gave them each a new language to speak. So, as they chattered away and suddenly they realised these languages were the same as the languages of all these different countries. With this they told people outside all about Jesus, and more than 3000 people decided to become Christians that day. They had sermons and teachings, which became the ‘Body of Christ’ and from which the Church began and grew.

For this project I visited St Leonard’s Church in Wollaton, and it was interesting to see what it is like. My first impressions of the church were it’s a unique design and its a traditional look which suites Wollaton. It is a simple design, which is common among Churches as they shouldn’t be elaborate as it is a place to pray not to show off. There are many religious objects inside and the layout of them is symbolic. Only the main person is in gold, Jesus and this makes him stand out more than anything. This church is very popular among the parishioners for these reasons.

Descriptions of the 10 main features in a Church

When I went to St Leonard’s Church I saw many objects the church possess. Here are 10 features I picked out and explained including their use and significance:

Altar- In a church, there is an Altar table. This is always located at the front of the Church, placed in the centre of the sanctuary. It is a simple table, decorated, and can be made of stone or wood. It should always be a simple table of proportional dimensions, and often a perfect cube; also it is always freestanding so that it may be encircled. It should also have a nice covering with colourful material to show divine and heavenly character. It also shows God's glory and majesty, and it may drape down to the floor.

On the Altar there is a cross, candlesticks, some flowers and the church’s silver (e.g. Chalice). In Cathedrals and some Churches, the altar has an antimension. The cloth shows Christ in the tomb, which contains the signature of the bishop and is the permission for the local community to gather at the church.

In the very early times the altar was originally used for animal sacrifice. After that the table was used by Jesus to have a meal with his 12 disciples, and this is known as ‘the Last Supper’, the altar represents this event. At the meal Jesus passed around bread and wine to his disciples, telling them that this was his body and blood, which he was about to sacrifice for the sins of mankind. He said to his followers, to remember him by celebrating the super until he returned. Today, it is still celebrated and the altar is used for the ‘Holy Communion’, which recalls the Last Supper, which is very important and is central to worship. The priest, or minister, uses the altar to prepare the bread and wine for the Eucharist. Congregations face the altar during church services.

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The altar is the focal point of the building; this shows the significance of Jesus death and resurrection. Christians receive the Bread of Life, the Body and Blood of the Lord's Passover Supper. This table is the "table of God's Kingdom" and that’s what the altar means to Christians.

Candles- Candles are placed around the church and signify more than just light. There are some on the altar, and in the Eucharist celebration they are lit up, representing the spirit of prayer and praise. The Holy Spirit is thought of as a flame, and Jesus is called ‘the Light ...

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