God, Church etc

What You Need To Know

Jane Maycock

• Publisher: SPCK Publishing
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9780281070220
• Topic: Theologie & Religion
• Subtopic: Christentum

Ever wondered what a mitre is, why ministers wear dog collars or how we came to eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday? If so, dip into God, Church, etc. You'll find lots of short, pithy entries (with highlighted cross references), giving instant information on everything from church furniture to theological ideas to social networking.

the Church stuff

‘What we do in church has to come after and reflect our understanding of God.’

4

buildings & furniture

altar

A kind of table where the bread and wine are placed during Holy Communion. Why this name? Well:

• Christianity grew out of the Jewish faith;
• for the Jews an altar was important as the place where a sacrifice was made to God;
• keeping this name is a reminder of the sacrificial love of God;
• God’s love is at the heart of a communion service: God gave himself for us, so that we can live in his love. As John wrote not long after Jesus’ death and resurrection, ‘In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins’ (1 John 4.10).

(see also communion table, Holy Communion and sacrifice)

baptistery

The part of a church building where baptisms happen.

In some churches this is where the font is.

In churches where adult baptism by full immersion is usual, the baptistery may look like a small swimming pool. The pool will be big enough for two adults, one being immersed and one performing the ceremony. This is often hidden under the floor, but can be opened up when needed.

Occasionally the baptistery is a separate building close to the main door of the church or cathedral. This symbolizes the fact that baptism is the way into the Christian faith.

candles

Churches can be full of candles – or have none at all. Two candles on the altar. Candles either side of the cross in a procession. Baptism candles. A paschal candle on Easter Day. A prayer stand with opportunities for people to light a candle (sometimes called votive candles).

A few hundred years ago candles were the main source of light in an often dark building. But lots of candles were a sign of wealth. At the Reformation some churches wanted to get back to a simpler form of worship. Some church reformers did not want people’s attention to be drawn to an object like a cross or crucifix. The number of candles were reduced. Church services happened in daylight hours. Candles were no longer needed to provide light.

So why do we still have them?

• Candles are symbols of the light of God shining among us.
• They remind us of all the images of light in the Bible.
• Jesus tells his disciples, ‘You are the light of the world … let your light shine before others … ’ (Matthew 5.14, 16).
• Above all, Jesus describes himself saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life’ (John 8.12).

cathedral

A cathedral is the church where the bishop’s ‘throne’ or seat is – because cathedra in Greek means ‘seat’. As bishops oversee large areas of a country called dioceses, the cathedral is the principal church for a diocese. Some people on the staff of a cathedral will just work there. Others based at the cathedral will have work that is to do with the whole diocese.

chancel

In a traditional church building, this is the part of the church in front of where the congregation are sitting. Often, the chancel is where the choir sits, and the altar or communion table is beyond that.

If you go back to before the Reformation, the chancel was the place in the church that was reserved for the priests. All the other people coming to communion watched from a distance – not good, given that communion is all about God’s welcome!

chapel

A place of worship that has an altar or communion table in it, but that is usually smaller than a church. A chapel can be a small room within a church building, or part of a different building altogether – inside a college, hospital, school, prison or even a private house.

In some places, ‘chapel’ meant the place of Christian worship that wasn’t the Anglican church – perhaps Methodist, Baptist or Free Church. People would describe themselves as being ‘church’ or ‘chapel’.

(see also denomination)

Fascinating fact: ‘chapel’ originally meant ‘cloak’ – not just any old cloak but the one that belonged to St Martin, the Roman soldier who cut his cloak in half and gave half to a beggar. This cloak was called a cappella. It was kept as a holy relic, taken by kings into battle and eventually given its own place of safe keeping. This place was simply called the ‘cappella’ or ‘chapel’, and here it was looked after by cappellani, or ‘chaplains’.

church

The word ‘church’ has two meanings. The most important one is this:

• people gathered together to worship God.

From this, it has also come to mean:

• a building where Christians come to worship God.

A church is a building with certain things inside – an altar, pews or chairs in rows; an organ, ministers wearing robes, and so on. It is a building in which certain things happen – baptisms, sometimes weddings and funerals.

Sometimes it seems as if this second meaning matters most – yet the Church would still be here without the building.

(see also section 5, ‘people’)

Name trail: ‘church’ comes from the Greek word kuriakon, which means ‘the Lord’s’. It was a shorthand way of saying ‘the house of the Lord’. This also gives us the word ‘kirk’, which is commonly used in Scotland to refer to the Church of Scotland or Free Church.

communion table

The table on which the bread and wine are placed during a service of Holy Communion. It is the same piece of furniture that some Christians call the altar, but with a different emphasis. When Christians use the words ‘communion table’ they usually want to avoid the idea of sacrifice that comes with the word ‘altar’. Instead, they emphasize the meal Jesus had with his friends before he died. He shared bread and wine with them, saying that these things were his body and blood. We call this meal the Last Supper, or Lord’s Supper.

cross

A symbol – an image that says something about Christianity.

• The Romans put Jesus to death by crucifying him – nailing him to a cross.
• The empty cross tells us of Jesus’ death, but also that God raised him to new life.
• The cross proclaims the love God has shown in and through Jesus.
• It is a reminder of how we should live: sharing in the life of God, demonstrating self-giving love in the world around us.
• People declare this in lots of ways – in their jewellery, on car bumper stickers, a cross hung on the wall of a home, even in the shape of church buildings.

crucifix

A cross with the figure of Jesus on it. A symbol of Jesus crucified. Some people find it a bit gruesome, or think it tells only half the story, but it is a reminder of how much Jesus suffered for us. He gave his life.

font

The bowl that contains the water at a baptism. It can be small, brought out when needed to stand on a table. It can be set in its own stand. It can be like a large sink with a plug hole in the bottom, set in stone, with or without a lid.

A font might not look like anything special, but the name reminds us of what it contains: ‘font’ comes from a Latin word meanin...

Table of contents

• cover
• title page
• imprint
• dedication
• table of contents
• illustrations by Dave Walker
• preface
• acknowledgements
• the God stuff
• the Church stuff
• other stuff
• search items for entries