If Worship is an unfamiliar
word, think of what millions do with their favourite football team.
In the UK more people go to church than attend football matches.
Church worship usually involves prayer, singing and preaching.
The music might be very highbrow with a robed church choir or
it might involve more popular music
with clapping and even dancing.
And there is something else, dear Beginner, to confuse you: Denominations
These are some of them
Church of England (also called Anglican), Roman Catholic, Methodist,
Baptist
By way of example: You can find links to those who come together
in Kent HERE
Why are there different ones? The reasons are historical. The Church of England broke away from The Church of Rome as a way for Henry the Eighth to divorce one of his wives and was consolidated under Elizabeth 1st. She had the brilliant idea of making everyone (in England) a member of the Church of England. That is why when you are asked your religion on going into hospital or prison or the forces, you will be put down as C of E unless you say differently. The Methodist Church broke from the Anglican (C of E) church in the 18th Century and the Salvation Army from them in the 19th. The Baptists do not baptise infants but wait for adulthood.
Do not worry though, dear Beginner, many people in many churches do not even know this much.
All Christian Churches worship God and believe in His son Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Many will say, because of this, that their Denomination doesn't matter,
but that isn't really true!
If it were they would get together much more than they do! wouldn't
they?
And just to further confuse you, Churches of the same denomination may have very different forms of worship.
If you see the News from Northern Ireland you will wonder about Catholics and Protestants. Protestant is a word meaning any church that is not Catholic. Fighting takes place there, just as it did in ages past in the rest of the UK, because old wounds from those days have not healed. Be assured dear Beginner, noone who indulges in wanton violence is a valid member of any Church.
Other news will make you wonder about Islam whose followers are called
Muslims and
worship in Mosques.
They call God Allah, respect Jesus but do not believe He
was the Son of God.
Christianity is unique among the world religions in that it has
a Saviour, Jesus Christ
I have a friend in Canada who believes, with some justification, that
religion has caused nothing but trouble in the world
and is therefore to be avoided at all costs.
Unhappily Religion like other ways of grouping people: school uniform, football colours, skin colour, has been harnessed by the evil forces present in the world to set one group against another.
Since I have been a Methodist Church Member since 1956 I am going to quote
John Wesley:
( I have to abbreviate or you would give up)
What is the foundation of my hope?...... my expectation of entering the Kingdom of Heaven. Is it not built upon the sand my ..... right opinions, which, by gross abuse of words, I have called faith? upon my having a set of notions suppose(dly) more rational or scriptural than others have? Alas what madness is this.
He goes on to list several other ways of "building on sand":
(upon) an excellent church ......
blessed with the purest doctrine, the most primitive liturgy
upon innocence?
(upon being) zealous in good works?
and concludes
Now, therefore, build upon a rock.
By the grace of God know thyself......... Own thyself guilty of
eternal death....
Be it all thy hope, to be washed in His
blood.......
who Himself bore all thy sins in His
own body upon the Cross.
He is referring of course to Jesus. Perhaps being
washed in His blood, is not the language you want to hear!
It means that Jesus once and for all absorbed the evil of the
world without any retaliation.
If we want to follow Him into Heaven we must follow His way,
with the support and worship of an imperfect church, but in the
end
Responsible for our own destiny, for loving those around
us while we are here
and above all loving God and accepting His Son Jesus Christ
as Lord and Saviour.