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What are sacraments? |
| The
word 'sacrament' is traditionally described as meaning 'an outward and visible
sign of an inward and spiritual grace.' Across most Christian traditions, the two key sacraments are Baptism and Holy Communion. What are these activities, and what do they represent for worshippers? A thorough, but clear, discussion of their theology and meaning can be found at the World Council of Churches Faith and Order website at: 
http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/faith/bem1.htmlBoth sacraments involve an acting-out of beliefs. For those who have no experience of church worship, discuss related secular rituals, e.g. birthday celebrations, joining a scout pack, school assembly (and school uniforms!), court procedures, receiving a degree or a prize, the Maori war-dance performed by the New Zealand rugby team… What is going on in these rituals? Pupils could design their own 'sacrament'. For example: what would they do / say when a new person joins the class? Birth, marriage and death are often thought of as being the three points at which people need some sort of ritual gesture. What are the differences between Christian and secular rituals at this point? Do we need rituals only at these 'crisis' points? When else might we need them? |
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Japanese
Buddhism generated the tea ceremony - a ritual which involves concentration
on an 'ordinary' moment. Several sites tell you more about this ceremony,
for example: |
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