Worship and the sacraments

In a minute

Christians gather each week, usually on Sunday, the day of the resurrection, to worship God together: to sing, pray, hear the Bible, and, in most churches, share bread and wine in Holy Communion.

At the centre of Christian worship are sacraments: actions using ordinary things (water, bread, wine, oil, touch) which Christians believe Christ gave to his Church as signs and means of God's grace. A classic definition calls a sacrament "an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace" (Book of Common Prayer 1662, Catechism). Two are shared by almost all Christians: baptism and the Eucharist.

What it is and how it's lived

Baptism: the way in

Jesus was baptised by John in the River Jordan, and sent his followers to baptise "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19, WEBBE). Baptism is how a person becomes a Christian and a member of the Church.

Water is poured over the head three times, or the person is immersed, in the name of the Trinity.
It is a sign of washing, of dying and rising with Christ, and of new birth: "We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4, WEBBE)
Many churches baptise babies, with parents and godparents making promises on their behalf; a lighted candle is often given, a sign of passing "from darkness to light".
Baptist and many Pentecostal and independent churches baptise believers who can make their own profession of faith, usually by full immersion in a pool or river.

Most churches recognise each other's baptism, as long as it was with water in the name of the Trinity: "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5, WEBBE).

The Eucharist: the shared meal

On the night before he died, at a Passover meal, Jesus took bread and wine:

"For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread. When he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me.' In the same way he also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me.'" (1 Corinthians 11:23–25, WEBBE)

Christians have done this ever since. The service has many names:

Mass (Catholic, and some Anglicans), from the Latin dismissal Ite, missa est.
Divine Liturgy (Orthodox).
Holy Communion, the Eucharist ("thanksgiving") or the Lord's Supper (Anglican and Protestant).

A typical service has two parts: the Liturgy of the Word (Bible readings, a sermon, the creed and prayers) and the Liturgy of the Sacrament (the prayer of thanksgiving over the bread and wine, the Lord's Prayer, the sharing of the peace, and Communion).

Other sacraments and rites

Catholic and Orthodox churches count seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation (Orthodox: chrismation), the Eucharist, reconciliation (confession), anointing of the sick, marriage and holy orders (ordination). Anglicans and most Protestants speak of two "sacraments of the Gospel", baptism and Communion, while many still practise confirmation, confession, anointing, marriage and ordination as sacred rites. Salvationists and Quakers do not use outward sacraments, seeing the whole of life as sacramental.

Worship in many styles

Worship can be a sung Orthodox liturgy with incense and icons lasting two hours, a Latin Mass, a choral Evensong in a cathedral, a Methodist service full of hymns, a Pentecostal gathering with a band and raised hands, or a Quaker meeting in silence. Hymns and worship songs have been a Christian gift to world music, from Gregorian chant to gospel.

Its inner meaning

Christians believe worship is not mainly about what they get out of it, but giving God the honour he is due, which then shapes everything else. The sacraments say that God works through ordinary, physical things: water, bread, wine, human hands. Faith is not only in the head.

Holy Communion is also called communion because it binds believers to Christ and to one another. St Paul wrote: "Because there is one loaf of bread, we, who are many, are one body" (1 Corinthians 10:17, WEBBE). Rich and poor kneel at the same rail.

Key texts

"As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.'" (Matthew 26:26, WEBBE)

Greek (1 Corinthians 11:24): καὶ εὐχαριστήσας ἔκλασεν… τοῦτο ποιεῖτε εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνάμνησιν — kai eucharistēsas eklasen… touto poieite eis tēn emēn anamnēsin, "and having given thanks he broke it… do this in remembrance of me".

"For as many of you as were baptised into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27, WEBBE)

"They continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer." (Acts 2:42, WEBBE)

"I was glad when they said to me, 'Let's go to the LORD's house!'" (Psalm 122:1, WEBBE)

From the Christian tradition

The Didache, a Christian handbook from around 100 CE, gives one of the earliest Eucharistic prayers, comparing the bread to grain once scattered on the hills and gathered into one (paraphrased; Didache 9).
St Justin Martyr, writing in Rome in about 155, describes Christians gathering on Sunday for readings, prayers, bread and wine, and a collection for widows, orphans and the sick (paraphrased; First Apology 67).

Common misunderstandings, answered gently

"Communion is cannibalism." This was a rumour about early Christians too. Christians receive bread and wine; what they believe about Christ's presence is spiritual and sacramental, not physical flesh.
"Baptism is just a naming ceremony." A name is given, but for Christians baptism is the sacrament of new birth and entry into the Church.
"Anyone can take Communion anywhere." Practice varies. Catholic and Orthodox churches usually invite only their own members to receive; many Anglican and Protestant churches invite all baptised Christians. Visitors are always welcome to come forward for a blessing (crossing arms over the chest is a common sign) or simply to remain seated.

Across the churches

Christians agree that Christ is present in the Eucharist, but explain it differently. Catholics teach transubstantiation: the bread and wine truly become Christ's body and blood, while still looking like bread and wine. Orthodox Christians affirm the real change and call it a mystery without defining how. Lutherans speak of Christ truly present "in, with and under" the bread and wine. Anglicans hold a range of views, many speaking of a real presence. Many Reformed, Baptist and evangelical Christians see the Lord's Supper as a memorial and a spiritual communion with Christ. Orthodox give Communion to baptised infants; Catholics usually receive first Holy Communion around the age of seven or eight.

Reflection

Christians believe God works through ordinary things such as water and bread. What ordinary thing in your life carries a meaning far bigger than itself?

In the other traditions

Judaism: Jewish worship centres on prayer and the reading of the Torah in the synagogue, especially on the Sabbath; the Shabbat meal at home begins with blessings over wine and bread (kiddush and hamotzi), and the Passover seder retells the Exodus.
Islam: Muslims gather for the Friday congregational prayer (Jumu'ah) with a sermon, perform ritual washing (wudu) before prayer, and there are no sacraments or priesthood; each believer stands directly before God.

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