A Church in Wales Handbook for Teachers in Church Schools.
Compiled by Revd. lan Rees Adapted by The Education Team - Llandaff
This guide is an attempt to provide a brief introduction to the Christian faith and some of the practices of the Anglican Church. It is designed to help teachers in Church Schools to explain the faith and practices to children, and to answer the inevitable questions that arise when material that many adults find difficult to understand is delivered to children.
The Christian religion is a living religion. Jesus Christ suffered and died on the Cross to give mankind the greatest gift – eternal life. He wants us to enjoy our faith and to proclaim that faith to others in words and actions.
Much of what we do in church can seem difficult to understand, sometimes even pointless, but it is done for a reason. The reasons, often historical, help us to realize the long-lasting nature of the Church. Much of our worship in Church offers a way for us to join in symbolically with the last supper, and openly offer our lives to God.
The symbolic nature of much of what we do means that it is not essential; some people will feel more comfortable doing certain things than others, but it is important to understand what is being done and why.
Above all things, we are the Church – it is our privilege and responsibility to be involved in spreading the good news of Jesus.
Christian Creeds
There are basically three creeds which are used in Church. A creed is a concise, formal and authorised statement of important points in Christian Doctrine. They were written at various times throughout the history of the Christian Church, usually to address a particular controversy. The creeds now used are the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed. The earliest creeds however were found in the New Testament, for example Romans 10:9 ('Jesus is Lord') and 1 Corinthians 15:3,4 ('...I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised again on the third day...')
Apostles Creed
This is used only in the Western Church. It falls into three sections, concerned with God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, corresponding to the three baptismal questions of the ancient Church. There is a legend that it was compiled by the twelve apostles. It is used in the morning and evening prayer services and sometimes at baptisms.
Nicene Creed
This was issued in the year 325 by the Council of Nicaea, which was a conference attended by 300 Bishops. It was set up by the Emperor Constantine in an effort to prevent arguments within the Church particularly over the status of Jesus as God and man. This creed includes strong affirmations of the unity of Christ with God. It is the creed that is usually used in Eucharist services.
Athanasian Creed
This is a much longer creed, usually only used on Trinity Sunday. It gives a clear and detailed exposition of the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation.
In addition to these three creeds an additional one has become more used in recent times. This is theBaptismal Creed. Basically this creed seeks to outline very simply the very basic beliefs of our faith.
I believe and trust in God the Father,
Who created all that is.
I believe and trust in his Son Jesus Christ,
Who redeemed humankind.
I believe and trust in his Holy Spirit,
Who gives life to the people of God.
I believe and trust in one God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. AMEN
The Liturgical Year
The Anglican Church calendar has traditionally been set out
over a year to take into account the major events of the life andwork of Christ, and also to celebrate the major festivals.
Each season (or special day) has a particular colour. These are
briefly summarised as follows:
Purple — Reflection, penitence, mourning
White — Celebration
Red-Saints Days (where the Saint died for their faith), or forPentecost (recognising the flames of the Holy Spirit)
Green — The colour traditionally associated with 'normal1 seasons.
It is the colour of growth as each of us seeks to get closer to
God and to one another.
Advent
The Church year begins on the First Sunday in Advent, which is the closest Sunday before or after St. Andrew's Day (30th November). There are four Sundays in Advent. This is the season when we prepare for both Christmas and the promised Second coming of Christ.
It is a season not so much of looking forward, but of reflection
on and penitence for things in the past. This will enable us to be
better prepared for the commemoration of Christ's birth and for his second coming.
In Church throughout Advent, the Gloria is not said at the
Eucharist service, and there are no flowers. Advent ends on
Christmas Eve.
Liturgical Colour: Purple
Christmas
Obviously the season in which we especially celebrate the birth
of Jesus. The season runs from Christmas Day to 6th January
(Epiphany)
Liturgical Colour: White
Epiphany
Epiphany falls on 6th January. The Western Church recalls and celebrates the visit of the Magi (wise men) told in Matthew 2:1-12. The Church calendar makes provision for up to 6 Sundays after Epiphany.
During this period we are led to think about the different manifestations of Christ’s glory and Divinity, especially the Baptism, the miracle at Cana, the Nativity, and the visit of the Magi.
Liturgical Colour : White for Epiphany Day and the first Sunday of the season, then green for the rest of the season.
Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima
70 60 50 days before Easter
These Sundays are rarely used in Churches now as they do not form part of the more modern calendars (lectionaries). These are the three Sundays before Lent when the Church thinks about Creation, the Fall and the promise of Salvation
Liturgical Colour : Green
Lent
The period of 40 days leading up to Easter. It is a time when we reflect on Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness after his baptism. It is a solemn time in the Church year, often marked by fasting or abstinence of some description.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday when ashes are sometimes put on the forehead of people in the shape of a cross to symbolise mourning and penitence. Ash Wednesday is preceded by Shrove Tuesday (from "to shrive", or hear confessions), when dairy products are used up prior to the Lenten abstinence (which is why pancakes are traditionally made on that day). Other names for Shrove Tuesday are Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”) and Carnival (“farewell to meat” – also in preparation for Lent).
Sundays during Lent are not seen as fasting days, and are not included in the 40 days (therefore whatever has been given up for lent can be taken each Sunday — some say it is far more difficult to give things up time and time again, making the Lenten discipline even more valuable)
Liturgical Colour : Purple
Passion Sunday
The 5th Sunday in Lent. The day when Jesus' suffering is considered in more detail as we move closer to Easter. It is the beginning of Passiontide which is the last two weeks of Lent (Up to Holy Saturday)
Liturgical Colour: Red
Palm Sunday
The Sunday before Easter which introduces Holy Week. We think of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem a week before the resurrection. In Church the Palm Crosses are traditionally blessed on this day. In some places those crosses are burnt the following year, and the ashes are used to put on people's foreheads on Ash Wednesday.
Liturgical Colour: Red
Holy Week
A week set aside for focusing on the death of Christ and its meaning for the salvation of the world. In this week is Maundy Thursday, when the institution of the Holy Communion at the last supper is commemorated. Maundy comes from the Latin phrase 'mandatum novum', meaning new commandment, and refers to John chapter 13 when Jesus washed his disciples feet and said, 'a new commandment I give you. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.'
Also in this week is Good Friday, the most solemn day of all, as we reflect on the crucifixion of Jesus.
Liturgical Colour: Purple
Easter
The major festival of the Christian year, when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Every Sunday remains a festival occasion because it commemorates the day Jesus rose. The season of Easter lasts for 40 days until Ascension Day.
Liturgical Colour: White
Ascension Day
This celebrates the ascension of Jesus into heaven. We are reminded that Jesus took his, and our, humanity into heaven. The festival marks the end of Jesus' post resurrection appearances which lasted for 40 days. For this reason it is celebrated 40 days after Easter Day.
Liturgical Colour: White
Pentecost
This is celebrated 50 days after Easter and commemorates the bestowal of the Holy Spirit on the Christians of the early Church. This can be read about at the beginning of the Book of Acts (Chapter 2). It is often described as the birthday of the Church. The Holy Spirit represents the life of the Church today — it is the power of God offered to all believers.
Liturgical Colour: Red
Trinity Sunday
Celebrated one week after Pentecost. On Trinity Sunday the Church is reminded of God's eternal nature—that he is Father, Son and Holy Spirit; three persons in one God.
Liturgical Colour: White
Trinity / Sundays after Pentecost
This is the longest season of the Christian year. During this period many aspects of Christian life and witness are considered. All these are based, in one way or another, on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and his continuing presence with us.
Liturgical Colour: Green
Saints Days and Feast Days
During the year there are various Saints and Feast Days celebrated. In the calendar some saints days are known as Red letter saints days (these are considered the most important), while others will be Black letter saints days (which are slightly less important). The liturgical colours will vary for the actual Saint or Feast Day being celebrated. Generally saints who were not martyrs will be white, and those who were martyrs will be red.
Some other liturgical colours :
Ordinations, Marriage, Baptism, Confirmation : White Funerals : Purple (or in some places, Black)
The Eucharist Service
Introduction
The title 'Eucharist' is taken from the Greek word for 'thanksgiving'. This title for what is the central act of Christian worship is to be explained either by the fact that at its institution Christ 'gave thanks' or by the fact that the service is the supreme act of Christian thanksgiving for the ultimate sacrifice paid by Jesus on the cross. In the New Testament there are 4 accounts of its institution
A) 1 Corinthians 11:23-25
B) Matthew 26: 26-28
C) Mark 14:22-24
D) Luke 22:17-20
Passages in the Book of Acts show that from a very early date the service was a regular part of Christian worship and was held to have been instituted by Christ himself (Acts 2:24,46 and Acts 20:7)
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Other titles of this service are as follows: -
Holy Communion, Lords Supper, Mass
The Service
The essential thing that we must remember as we enter a Eucharist service is that we are not spectators. We are taking part in the service. Our participation and response to the service will either bring us closer to God or push us further away.
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The service begins with The preparation or The gathering of the people, and immediately we are reminded that we are committing the service to God, 'In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit'
This is followed by a prayer for purification, as we ask for God's strength and surrender ourselves to him and his will. Obviously when seeking the presence of God we should seek to do so with as clear a conscience as possible, therefore it is important that this prayer occurs at the beginning of the service. This is followed by the kyries which is a brief prayer once again requesting God's mercy. Kyrie eleison means Lord have mercy. Christe eleison means Christ have mercy. The kyries are either sung, or sometimes used as a response following a sentence of scripture or some other relevant seasonal phrase.
An alternative to the kyries which can be used is the reciting of the Ten Commandments.
This is followed by a brief silence as we reflect on the sins we have committed, followed by a Prayer of Confession. In this prayer we are offering true repentance for our sins. To repent means to be truly sorry, and it means that we are determined to try and never commit that sin again. It is completely pointless to say this prayer without meaning the words. The prayer of confession is followed by the Priest (or the Bishop if he is present) pronouncing Absolution.
The absolution is often misunderstood. It is not the Priest who is forgiving the sins, only God can do this. The Priest is simply passing on God's forgiveness to all who have the necessary qualifications (repentance and a determination not to commit these sins again). Only God can really know whether these things are present.
This is followed by the Gloria in excelsis, meaning Glory be to God on high. This is a wonderful song of praise and thanks for the saving death, resurrection and triumph of Jesus.
After the Gloria a new section of the service begins, THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD or PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD. The Proclamation of the word begins with the prayer called The Collect'. This prayer is so-called because it gathers up various prayers of the people for a particular day in the Church calendar.
So far in the Eucharist service we have prepared ourselves, confessed our sins, had God's forgiveness bestowed on us, and have praised God for his goodness and his love for us in the words of the Gloria.
We now move on to the scripture teaching. There is a reading from the Old Testament followed by a Psalm, followed by the Epistle and the Gospel reading. The readings are usually followed by the sermon.
The Old Testament
The readings from the Old Testament (the Hebrew scriptures) are chosen to correspond to the Gospel passages and to bring out the unity between the Old and the New Testaments.
The Psalm
A psalm is said or sung. The Psalms are ancient Israel's hymns and songs, many of which were set to music. Jesus constantly quoted from the psalms in his ministry. He recited them at the Passover and before the Last Supper, and his dying words from the Cross were from Psalm 22. The traditional Anglican recital of psalms uses the music of “Anglican Chant”, which can be heard in our cathedrals and most churches that have choirs. Where this is not possible, congregational versions of the psalms (often in the form of simple hymns) are used.
The Epistle
Epistle means letter. This reading in the service is often taken from one of New Testament letters, but is sometimes taken from Acts or Revelation.
The Gospel
At Each Eucharist service a portion of one of the four gospels is read. It is customary to stand for the reading of the gospel. If a Priest is reading the gospel he may begin with a silent prayer, 'Cleanse my heart, that I may worthily proclaim the Holy gospel.'
If a Deacon reads he or she may seek a blessing from the Priest beforehand. The Priest will say something like, 'God be in your heart and on your lips that you may worthily proclaim the Holy gospel.'
The gospel is often read amongst the people, representing the fact that the gospel is for the people to learn and live out in our lives. Some read it facing the door of the Church, as if reading it to those not in the Church building who have not heard or responded to the gospel message.
The gospel reading is then usually followed by the sermon.
After the sermon the congregation stand and recite a creed (usually the Nicene Creed). Recitation of this should be bold and clear—we should be proud of our faith and prepared to proclaim it loudly - Are we ??
The service continues after the Creed with the Intercessions. There are set prayers in some books, but more usually the prayers are different for each service. However a similar pattern is used, praying for the Church (our own and throughout the world), the clergy, our own congregation (and all Christians), Governments and peace throughout the world, those who are suffering in any way and those who have died.