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 of the World’. There are also some around the church on stands and one with the font.
In baptism the candle is used with the font (see font), and when it is lit, it means that the person, or child, who is baptised is going form darkness to light.
On Easter the candle is used differently and Paschal Candles are used. On the stroke of midnight the Paschal candle is lit and then carried to the church, which is pitch black, and the candle symbolises the light of the resurrection of Jesus, which gradually overcomes the powers of darkness in the world, bringing light. When the light is passed around everyone is reminded that the ‘Good News’ of the ‘Light of the World’.
There are candles called votive candles, which are on big, colourful stands at the back of churches. They are a reminder of the presence of Christ, and Christians make a small offering, taking their time to make an effort to remember God during there busy day.
Crucifix- The crucifix is a cross with Jesus hanging on it. Often there are the initials INRI above him, this stands for ‘Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews’ in Latin. The crucifix is the symbol of the sacrifice Jesus made for Christians and his suffering. It is there as a permanent reminder of God's love forever for Christians.
Sometimes the crucifix is suspended above the entrance to the sanctuary, where all can see it, or it may be on the altar table (see Altar). If the crucifix is placed above the altar, it reminds Christians that the Mass is both a sacrifice (like the crucifix) and a meal (like the altar). People find it moving to pray in front of the crucifix. The figure of Jesus on the crucifix helps people meditate on his death
Flowers- In church there are many Flowers, in a variety of colours. They are an ornament with meaning and significance in them. Christians saw flowers as special signs of heaven and the unfolding of spiritual life, and adopted them as symbols of everything pure and holy in Christ and his Virgin Mother. Also Christians believe that in worship, flowers represent there lives and sharing in the beauty of God and his world.
Flowers are brought into church buy the parishioners. They can be found anywhere, decorating the church, or found on the altar, or usually found on a plain table, with no cross and no candles. In some churches, at the Holy Communion, parts of the church are scattered with many flowers and priests wear them as garlands and crowns.
Font- In a church the font is a feature used for the baptism of children and adults. Most fonts have a pedestal (about 1.5 metres tall) holding a basin of water, but the shape can vary. Many are 8-sided as a reminder of the "new creation". Some are 3-sided as a reminder of the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They can be made out of marble, wood, or metal.
The quantity of water is usually small (usually a litre or two). There are some fonts where water pumps a natural spring, or there is tap water used and gravity keeps the water moving to give the effect of moving waters of a stream.
The font is often located near the entrance of a church (back of the church). This has a symbolic meaning for Christians because when there body enters the church through the door, there soul enters the church through Baptism. But in some churches, the font is found at the front to emphasise the fact that a person is entering a sacramental community, also to allow the whole congregation to see the baptism service and welcome the new member in to their midst. Also it is near the lectern (where the Word of God is read) and the altar because it shows the link to the other sacraments a person will come to receive during their Christian life. In ancient buildings it is located in a special Baptistery (A room or building set apart for baptism).
Lectern- In church, the lectern is a bookstand or a reading desk, where the priest or minister reads the bible and prayers. The word ‘lectern’ comes from the Latin word of Legere, which is means ‘to read’. The lectern is read from by the Priest or the Lector (Lay Reader). They would read the Old and New Testament, which is usually gathered in a book called the ‘Lectionary’. Also the Lectern is used to read the scripture lessons, make announcements and to lead the congregation in prayer.
Some lecterns are normally decorated with a cross or some other symbols to remind Christians of the respect to be given to the bible or other scriptures, which are being read. The shape of the lectern can sometimes be eagled shape (which is standing on a ball), in which the bible is placed on. This is a symbol of Saint John, who wrote one of the gospels, which tells the story of the life of Christ. The eagle shaped lectern symbolises the power of God, flying into the hearts and minds of Christians around the world, which is shown in the gospels.
Pews- Originally Christians stood for worship, which still happens in some churches, but most churches have pews. These are the seats that people who come in to worship sit on. They are long, backed bench in rows. They are split up: there are rows of pews of the left of the church, and rows of pews on the right. There is a gap in the middle. They face the front to show the importance of the altar.
The word pew came from the French word ‘Puie’, which means ‘a raised place.’ Many pews have carvings on the bench ends and at the top of the carvings; there may be an animal head or a figure.
Pipe Organ- This is a musical instrument in Church. It is a piano or a keyboard with organ pipes on the top, which make it sound different. The organ is an instrument, which has flowing air to make a sound that is loud, deep, and broad, and an echoing sound. These properties are ideal for the Church and also it has an advantage because only one person has to play the keyboard/piano. The pipe organ though has a richer and more complex sound produced than with any other single instrument. The sound is like the sound out of a flute. Organ came from the Greek word ‘organon’ which means ‘an instrument.’
The organ is used before, during and after the end of the Church services. The Pipe organ lightens the Church up in many ways. It brings peace and clears people minds. Christians have a soothing feeling going through there bodies. The choir who are singing find it easier to sing with an organ and it supports them.
Pulpit- The pulpit is a raised platform in the church, from which a sermon (religious lecture) is preached. The word comes from the Latin word ‘pulpitum’ that means ‘platform or stage’.
The pulpit usually is located on the left of the altar (unlike the Lectern which is on the right of the altar). It is high up so people can see the preacher and to show how important the word of God is. Also, if the priest is high up it shows his authority to everybody, and to symbolise the fact that God is also watching over them from above. The Pulpit symbolises the word of God and when the priest or Minster is going up the stairs to the pulpit, it gives the feeling that he or she is going up to Jesus.
At the Church the priest or minister would preach a sermon, which instruct listeners how to live there lives in a Christian way. This is usually based on a passage from the bible, which was read aloud, at the lectern, earlier in the service. Some Christians take a great significance in this part of their worship because they feel it is important to listen to the words of the Bible and to try and obey its teachings.
Stained Glass Window- These are big colourful windows in many shapes or sizes, around the church. They have pictures, portraits or a design featuring pictures in them. They were built the time when people could not read the bible and so stained glass windows were invented to help them to see events and stories from the bible and the life of Jesus. Also there would be some stained glass, which would have pictures of famous saints or people in the bible.
The windows are read from the front of the church to the back, and they are arranged in the order of events in the bible. Stained glass has had a good affect on Christians because they want to tell a story, and to remind others that the love of God shines beautifully in their lives and brings a sense of the presence of God in the Church. Christians treasure this and the light shining through should be used to help those in need. The stories from the Bible on the stained glass have that impact because it shows the good times for Jesus but the bad when he was suffering.
The Role of a Priest
In Church you will find priests. They can be in charge or they can be assistants. In a parish church they are in charge and they replace the minister. The role of a priest consists of the seven sacraments: Infant Baptism, Confirmation, The Lord’s Supper, Penance, Holy Unction, Ordination and Marriage.
In infant baptism, before the ceremony the priest blesses the baptismal water with a prayer, then the Christening takes place. This is where the priest holds the baby above the font and sprinkles water three times over the baby while saying, “I baptise you in the name of the Farther, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. Then when that is done the priest makes the sign of the cross on the baby’s forehead.
Confirmation takes place when the baby is at the age of 10-12 where they can confirm to be a Christian. The priest has some holy oil and he anoints the child and says a prayer showing he is now welcomed into the family.
The Last Supper is a Christian celebration in which they recall the last supper for Jesus disciples (see Altar for more detail). Before the bread and wine is given out to everyone the priest blesses it. Then everybody comes and knells down to the altar and the priest gives a bit of bread and wine individually to each person there at the ceremony. As this is going on the priest says prayers, to show what the bread and wine represents.
Penance is where parishioners come to the church to confess their sins to the priest and to find forgiveness from God. The priest listens to the person and they give a penance, which is a penalty for the person to take in. This sometimes comes from the bible.
The Holy Unction is where the priest anoints the sick with holy oil and prays over them.
Ordination is where a person becomes a priest and a bishop performs this. They learn what to do as a priest but it is not related to the role of the priest though.
Marriage is a big sacrament, which the priest has to conduct. The priest’s job in this is to marry the couple in front of God. The priest starts of by asking each of the couple if they would take each other as long as they both shall live. If they both take each other the priest tells them the vowels and they take them and to not brake them. The groom places a ring on the bride’s finger, they kiss and then they are married.
Section B
In this section I will talk about the question: “You do not have to go to church to be a good Christian?” Is this true or not? I will be discussing five arguments for, and five arguments against this question. Also I will discuss my view with an explanation for it.
For
Firstly I think that a good Christian believes in Jesus and follows him, prays to him etc. If you go to Church you can do that but you can do that even if you don’t go to Church. You can do what Jesus says like help all and give to the poor, you can follow him by making a pilgrim or acts which Jesus did in his life, you can pray to him at home, or with others by lighting candles and find forgiveness from him. Jesus is everywhere, not just in Church.
Secondly, you don’t have to go to church to be a good Christian because a good Christian doesn’t DO things for God, but by what God has DONE for them in Jesus. Going to church is a good thing to do, for God, but that don’t make a good Christian. Good Christians should rely on what Jesus has DONE for them. Christians should go out to pilgrims and help the poor and try to join a charity.
Thirdly, meeting together to pray and read the Bible make people good Christians: “And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching”. Book of Hebrews 10:24-25. But you don’t have to do this in Church like in the bible, Matthew 18:20 it says “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them”.
Fourthly because being a good Christian is about how Christians live their lives, reflecting the life and the teachings of Jesus and respect for what Jesus has done. They should take in hand the stories of the bible, which are a key guide in their lives. It is not about going to church it is much more about living a Christian life.
And lastly a good Christian would help others, especially the poor and giving to charities and doing all sorts of good things for the community. There are many Christians who do that but don’t go to Church. They are still good Christians because that is what Jesus did, helping others in need, and Christians learn to do the same by what the bible says and that is more important instead of going to Church. That’s what Jesus would do.
Against
Firstly, a good Christian should go to church because you can meet other Christians and pray together. The Bible describes the church as a meeting of believers who gather to pray to Jesus. When this happens church will be a positive experience because they can learn how to live their lives and help the community through the sermons. Going to Church makes people learn more about what to do for the community and learn teachings from the Bible, if ever your life is in trouble. That is what a good Christian is.
Secondly, going to Church is good if you need forgiveness for your sins. You can come along and talk to the priest and ask for your sins to be forgiven and the priest will give you a penance. Being a good Christian is being good in many ways: not taking drugs, not to be racist, not to hurt people using violence etc. The priest in the church will help you in anyway.
Thirdly, when a Christian goes to Church, they can listen to the Bible being read and taught. Going there allows you to hear the priest read Biblical passages, which can make people learn more about the Bible. Listening to the main parts of the Biblical passages and the rest of the sermon can be an exciting and inspiring experience and it can make people see what Jesus has gone through and give thanks to him by “provoke one another to love and good deeds”.
Fourthly going to Church can engage Christians into various activities, which show that a Church is more for the community, and can act as a lifelong leisure centre. But it is better because the Church can surpass other centres because the Church teaches the members how to be good to one another and behave. It shows how the Church can change peoples lives to make them better and that applies to many other faiths.
And lastly the priest in the Church leads the contingent in celebrations: Lent, Good Friday, Easter, Holy Communion, Ascension, Pentecost, Advent and Christmas. Christians celebrate these to show their love and affection to Jesus, as they are a celebration of Jesus life. Going to Church means that you can celebrate these and pray to Jesus. You can learn from these celebrations and good Christians go to receive forgiveness for their sins. They thank God for sending his son (Jesus) down to the world. Going to Church and celebrating these events shows you are closer to God and Jesus. You have a stronger link to God and Jesus, if you celebrate these events.
My Conclusion
I think that you don’t have to go to Church to be a good Christian because going to Church you can learn all these good things and learn to live your life better. But I think you can do most of that without going to Church. A good Christian is to do things right and which is needed such as helping the poor. But not to do the less important thing which is to go to church and listen to sermons everyday. Jesus helped people so Christians should do the same.
Christians go to Church to listen to sermons listen to bible passages and praying to God and Jesus. Main objectives for a good Christian is to pray to God, which you can do out of Church, you can read the bible, by gathering as friends to read and learn the bible, and you can listen to sermons by also by having a gathering of friends and listen to one an other and each will help each other. Going to Church and listening to sermons gives you advice but it isn’t essential for you to live your life. God is around everywhere and he would agree that going to church is good but not always needed.