Copy of `St Peter's church, Ealing - Religious glossary `

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St Peter's church, Ealing - Religious glossary Category: People and society > Christianity Date & country: 19/01/2008, UK Words: 167

Lord's Prayer
The prayer that Jesus gave to his disciples.

Lucifer
Angel of light. Sometimes considered a synonym for Satan.

Mary
The mother of Jesus, sometimes called the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Maundy Thursday
Thursday of Holy Week. The day on which the first Lord's Supper, the Last Supper, was celebrated with the 12 Disciples. Maundy Thursday services often include 'stripping the altar' (removing all items including hangings) and foot washing.

MC - Master of ceremonies
This is one of the most experienced servers who is able to take charge of the whole ceremony. This server will also deal with problems as they arise in the Mass. If done well then no one will know that any problems have occurred.

Messiah
Derived from the Hebrew 'meshiach' which means 'consecrated person' or 'anointed one.' It is translated as the Greek word 'Christos,' and the English 'Christ.'

Miracle
An event in which God suspends one or more natural laws and makes an impossible outcome happen.

Morality
A system which differentiates between right and wrong conduct.

Moses
The Jewish leader who led the Jews from slavery in Egypt, and was given the ten commandments by God on Mount Sinai.

Moveable feast
: Any Church festival that does not fall on a fixed calendar day, but varies from year to year. Easter is the most important movable feast since many other movable feasts are determined by when Easter occurs.

Nave
The place where the congregation gather for worship.

New Jerusalem
A holy city, described in Revelation 21:1-2, descending to earth 1000 years after the battle of Armageddon.

New Testament
Part of the Bible together with the Hebrew Scripture. The New Testament contains the Gospels, the Epistles and the book of Revelation.

Offertory
Time in the worship service where the offering is taken up. The offering of money is part of the offertory, but the offertory also includes the offering of bread and wine that is to be consecrated during the communion, and the offering of '…ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice.'

Old Testament
Another name for the Hebrew Scripture, part of the Bible.

Omnibeneficience
The concept that God is all-good.

Omnipotence
The concept that God has infinite power.

Omnipresence
The concept that God is in all places at all times.

Omniscience
The concept that god is in possession of all knowledge.

Ordination
At an ordination, an individual is commissioned and empowered for the work of ministry. Ordination is the ritual used to make someone a priest or deacon, by the laying on of hands by a bishop.

Palm Sunday
Marks the day Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem on a donkey, where crowds waved palm leaves and declared him the messiah. Five days before they called for his crucifixtion.

Parish
The group of people of a certain area who are organized into a local, self-supporting church. Sometimes the word is used to refer to the geographic region around a church.

Paschal Candle
From the Hebrew word Pesach, meaning Passover. A very large candle in a very tall holder and placed in a prominent place. candle is lighted throughout the Easter season, and during baptisms and funerals.

Paul, St
A Jew who was converted to Christianity and who took the gospel to the Gentiles. Wrote many of the epistles.

Peace, The
Part of the service when members of the congregation, including the clergy, greet one another. The priest says, 'The Peace of the Lord be always with you.' The congregation responds, 'And also with you.' Immediately after these words people shake hands or speak or sometimes embrace in the church.

Pentecost
In Christianity, a holy day celebrated 49 days after Easter Sunday. It recalls the visitation of the Holy Spirit to 120 Christians 50 days after Jesus' resurrection. They spoke in tongues This is usually regarded as the date of the birth of the Christian church.

Peter, St
The apostle who denied Jesus and who Jesus called 'the rock on which the church was built'; Peter was the first bishop of Rome, or Pope.

Pews
Long, single, and usually permanent seats in the nave of a church building.

Prayer
Its purpose within Christianity is to assess the will of God for one's life, to praise God, to give thanks to God, to repent of sinful behaviour, to ask forgiveness, to seek a favour from God.

Priest
A clergyperson who may celebrate the Eucharist, give blessings and forgive sins.

Procession
The line of crucifer, acolytes, thurifer, MC, clergy and others walking into a church building to begin a service.

Prophecy
The foretelling of the future through a direct revelation from God.

Prophet
In the times of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) a person, almost always male, who was a religious reformer. They claimed to speak for God.

Pulpit
From the Latin, pulpitum, meaning 'a platform.' A raised platform or podium used for the sermon or homily.

Redemption
In Christianity, it generally refers to the deliverance of believers from a state of sin which is possible because of the death of Jesus on the cross.

Reformation
When the Western church split into the Catholic and Protestant denominations in the 16th century.

Resurrection
The belief that Jesus died, and later returned to life after three days.

Revelation
A message from God.

Reverend, The
An honorific title given to ordained clergy in most Christian churches.

Sacraments
A formal church ritual frequently described as an outward and visible sign of an internal and spiritual grace, such as Baptism.

Sacred
Something which is holy or devoted to God.

Salvation
The remission of sins and healing of the gulf between an individual and God.

Sanctus
The part of the Holy Communion service that beings with the words, 'Holy, Holy, Holy.'

Saviour
Another title for Jesus. Used to show belief that he rescued people from their sins by dying on a cross.

Schism, great
The formal split between the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic churches in 1054 CE. Also used to refer to the interval from 1378 to 1417 CE when as many as three individuals simultaneously claimed to be pope.

Seasons
A way of marking time in the Church. There are six seasons: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and the season after Pentecost.

Sermon
A talk given in church on a spiritual or moral theme.

Server
Someone who assists the celebrant at the altar, helping him or her set the table and perform ablutions.

Shrove Tuesday
The final day before the season of Lent begins, usually marked by pancake suppers

Sin
Doing something wrong that separates you from God.

Stole
A long strip of cloth (often silk) worn around the neck of the priest and allowed to hang down the front of the clerical vestments. Only bishops, priests and deacons are allowed to wear stoles.

Sunday
The Christian holy day; day of rest.

Surplice
A white over-garment worn over other vestments (usually a cassock).

Tabernacle
A small cabinet (sometimes a vessel) designed to contain the Reserved Sacrament.

Ten Commandments
The rules given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai.

Trinity, The
A fundamental symbol of the Christian faith and a critically important, basic, core doctrine in Christianity. The Trinity refers to the oneness and essential unity of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Twelve days of Christmas
The time from December 25th to January 6th, that is from Christmas day to Epiphany.

Unction
From Latin, unguere, meaning 'to anoint.' Unction is the process of anointing someone with consecrated oil for religious purposes.

Vestments
From the Latin word vestis, meaning 'garment.' Vestments are clothing worn by clergy or people leading a worship service.

Vestry
From the Latin word vestire, meaning to clothe, or to put on. It refers to the room where the priest would vest.

Vicar
From the Latin word vicarius, meaning 'a substitute.' Used to describe an English priest in who is charge of a congregation.

Votive candle
A devotional candle placed in a church or chapel.

Vows
Promises made in the sight of God.

Wafer
The bread part of the Lord's Supper signifying to us the Body of Christ, and is often an unleavened, and very thin cracker-like substance. After the wafer is consecrated, it is usually called the Host. Wafers that will serve as priest's hosts are larger than the people's hosts, and can range from one inch to several inches in diameter. The people's …

Whitsunday
The old name for Pentecost Sunday, the day described in Acts 2.

Wine
The beverage portion of the Lord's Supper. As Scripture reminds us, 'And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and he gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many, for the remission of sins.' (Matthew 26:27-28)

Worship
The act of prayer or actions dedicated to praising God.