Worship
worshipTo show devotion to God and/or religion through actions - for example, prayer. is any act that shows devotion or love for God. Christians worship in many ways, including prayerCommunication with God. A means of developing a personal relationship with God., reading from the Holy BibleHoly book of the Christians. Split into two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament., attending the EucharistA service celebrating the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, using elements of bread and wine. and singing religious songs.
For many Christians, worshipping together as a community is seen as essential. This is because Jesus said:
For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.
Because Jesus was resurrectionThe Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after the crucifixion. The rising from the dead of believers on the Last Day in a new, or risen, life. on a Sunday, Christians keep this day as the SabbathThe seventh day of the week and a day of rest for Jews (Shabbat is Friday sunset to Saturday sunset). Sunday is the day of rest for Christians., which many think of as a day to rest and be with family. Most churches have their main services of worship on a Sunday morning.
As well as worshipping with others at church, Christians can worship privately as individuals anywhere they want to.
Liturgical worship
liturgical worshipA church service which follows a set structure or ritual. is a pattern of worship with set prayers and readings that can be found in a printed book. Christians often join together as a congregationA group of people who assemble for religious worship. in church to participate in liturgical worship. They sing hymnA religious song giving praise and worship to God., pray and reciteTo say aloud set responses to readings.
In liturgical services, Christians may feel connected to the traditions of their church through taking part in these ceremonies, which may have been the same for many years. CatholicA group of Christians who accept the Pope in Rome as their leader., Church of EnglandThe Church of England (C of E) is the official Protestant state religion of England. Its supreme governor is the monarch of the UK, with the Archbishop of Canterbury as the most senior priest. and Orthodox ChristiansGroups of Christians, especially found in eastern Europe, who rejected the idea of the Bishop of Rome being the sole leader of the Christian Church. worship in this way.
Informal and individual worship
Church worship that is informal and less structured is referred to as non-liturgical worshipA church service which does not follow a set text or ritual. This type of worship is often called 'spontaneous' or 'charismatic' in nature.. In this type of worship, there are more opportunities for services to be tailored to different circumstances. For example, the sermonReligious teaching usually given verbally to a group of believers. could be on a theme that is relevant to the time or situation, and may become the main part of the service. Prayers can be in the service leader’s own words. They may also be totally unscripted, rather than being read from a book.
Individual worship for Christians tends to be informal and unstructured, although some Christians follow liturgical patterns of worship for individual prayer. For instance, many Catholic Christians say set prayers using a rosaryA string of beads used as a method of prayer or meditation, for example by Buddhists and Roman Catholic Christians..
