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The Life of the Church

Christianity: An Introduction

Day to day life of the Church is very vast; it varies from group to group, sometimes within each group

Roman Catholicism, for example, is so big some practices are used by some, not by others

Others allow individuals to decide

The Life of the Church

Customs included: Rings Voluntary commitment Vows Cultural factors

Christian Weddings

Union of man and woman: symbolizes marriage of Christ and the Church

Two become one flesh Wedding at Cana

Christian Weddings

Celebrate funeral rites for worship, praise, thanksgiving to God for the gift of life, and hope for the just

“I am the resurrection and the life; if you believe in me even though you die, you shall live forever” ~John 15:25-26

Christian Funerals

Pall – white cloth Incense Formerly black worn; now white for

new life

Christian Funerals

Victorian period – Christmas became national festival in England; explosion of Christmas carols written

Eric Milner-White – chaplain King’s College, Cambridge – developed Service of Nine Lessons and Carols

9 carols, sung by congregation, nine biblical readings

Service of the Nine Lessons and Carols

Readings tell the Christmas story, from Genesis through the Gospels

Theme: Christ is the long-promised savior of the world, God incarnate, who has entered into our world as one of us in order to redeem it

Service of the Nine Lessons and Carols

“Breaking of the bread” Baptism – sign of commitment Singing: “Speak to one another with

psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” ~Ephesians 5:19-20

Ekklesia Agape Sabbath

Christian Worship

Our Father/Lord’s Prayer Prayer – “a covenant relationship

between God and humanity in Christ”

Private and public Adoration Contrition Thanksgiving Supplication

Prayer

Earliest forms of worship – songs Hymns – 8th century

Amazing Grace

Praise

Many churches: structured form of Bible readings (“Lectionary”)

Often proclaimed by Lay ministers Earlier priority of the Gospels –

now Old and New Testament

Reading Scripture

Sermo – “a word” Sermon, homily “The drawing out of” a Biblical

passage Homilarium – books of sermons

Apostles Creed, Nicene Creed – often recited at weekly masses/services

Preaching, Creeds

Sacrament – “An external physical sign of an interior spiritual grace”

Baptism Reconciliation Eucharist Confirmation Marriage Holy Orders Anointing of the Sick

The sacraments

Baptizein - “to wash” Infant baptism Adult baptism

Confirmation

Baptism

Breaking of the bread – “Last supper”

Jewish Passover Meal Unleavened bread

Eucharist – “Thanksgiving” Mass – missa – “A service of some

sort Holy Communion – fellowship,

sharing Lord’s Supper – breaking of the

bread as memorial of last supper

Eucharist

Bread and wine – both forms offered Some groups do it monthly Others weekly Spoon or no spoon?

Eucharist

All revolve around Easter: Ash Wednesday Holy/Maundy Thursday Good Friday Ascension Pentecost Trinity SundayFixed feast: Christmas, select Holy Days

Rhythms and Seasons: Christian Year

Adventus - “coming” Wreath Four Sundays Two advents

Advent

Fixed – December 25 Birth of Jesus Santa Claus – St. Nicholas,

patron saint of children

Epiphany – “manifestation” or “making known” – January 6th

Magi

Christmas

Ash Wednesday – seventh week before Easter

Imposition of Ashes Preparation for Easter

Lent

Fasting Almsgiving Holy Week –

Palm Sunday Holy Thursday Good Friday

Stations of the Cross 14/15

Lent

Marks Christ rising from the dead

Easter

40 Days after Easter Jesus’ time on earth after the

Resurrection ends; he ascends into heaven

Ascension

50 days after Easter Marks the beginning of the

institutional church Holy Spirit came to the Apostles and

they were able to “speak in tongues”; they were empowered to go speak to all nations.

Pentecost

Monasticism (mono – one): a life for constant prayer; prayer life seemed ideal

Structure – seven times of prayer for the day – “offices”

Systematically structured into segments, including prayer and the reading of Scripture, especially Psalms

Dietrich Bonhoeffer – value of setting aside time for daily prayer.

The monastic day

Some Christian groups have deliberately defined themselves as counter-cultural

Mennonite, Amish communities: faith separates from daily culture

Most Christians do not feel a need to distinguish between the two

Early Church: Christianity was illegal Augustine of Hippo: Exodus example –

what is good, true, or valuable can be used for the Gospel

Christianity quickly became the official religion of the Roman Empire

Bishops began to imitate dress and customs of secular rules

Monasticism was counter-cultural

Christian Attitudes to Culture:Some Considerations

Christianity – unlike Islam and Judaism – no religious requirements concerning food or clothing

Jesus: religious purity lies within the heart, need for kosher and halal is negated.

Some Cultural customs that became part of Christianity:

Traditional Bishop garment color purple Wedding ring on fourth finger, left hand

Some Christian contributions: Supply of wine – Monk Dom Perignon –

discovered how wine could be preserved with the use of the bark of the Portuguese cork oak

The Impact of Christianity on Culture

Three broad positions on nature:1. The natural world is divine2. The natural world is created, and bears

some resemblance to its creator3. The natural world has no relation to

God If the natural world has no relation to

God, Christians often say, there is no motivation to study it; if it does, there is a good reason.

God’s imprint in creation God imposes order, rationality, and

beauty upon nature; some of which is capable of being uncovered by humanity

Christianity and Sciences

Some issues: Freeman Dyson “The Scientist as Rebel” – science is “rebellion against the restrictions imposed by the local prevailing culture” and therefore a subversive activity.

Rise of science challenged some religious worldviews

Copernican solar system Darwin

Christianity and Sciences

Cross – instrument of execution, a symbol of Christian hope

Sign of the Cross Cross is a symbol of Christianity

from the earliest times Used in art as a devotional piece

Icthus – teaching aid - Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior

Christian Symbolism: The Cross

Visualization – development of ways the divine can be represented

Second Commandment – No false idols /Iconoclast controversy

Heidelberg Catechism – “God cannot and should not be depicted in any way”; Biblical preaching should take the place of religious art as means of instruction and devotion

Most Christians find art helpful for devotion

Jesus – “image of the invisible God”

Christian Art

Christian Art

First, Christians met in private

Once legal, they wanted to make distinct points of worship

Cyprian: “Outside the Church there is no salvation”

Old Testament Temple

Church Architecture

Early Christian buildings did not use stained glass

Gothic architectural design led to stained glass (Why have windows shed light onto wall paintings when they themselves could contain messages?)

1100 – technology was well established

1550-1850 – painted glass

Stained Glass

Church Layouts

Iconoclast Controversy – many destroyed

Greek eikon “image” – a portable sacred image

Iconoclasts – “uninstructed and ignorant” could misconstrue the image from the divine reality it represents

Icons

Early music – Old Testament

Thomas Aquinas Luther –

traditional hymns – “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”

Mozart, Bach, Handel, etc.

Moved with the times

Christian Music

Dorothy Sayers – “The church, as a body, never made its mind up on the arts”

Greek writers and Paul Italian Renaissance Means of sharing the

Gospel Dante – The Divine

Comedy Virgil – The Aeneid

Christianity and Literature

Pilgrimage – Commitment, hardship, Christian unity

Common places: Jerusalem Rome Canterbury Santiago de Compostela – “The

Way of St. James” Lourdes - France

Pilgrimage and Christian Life