Lesson video

Hello, I'm Mrs. Afshan, and welcome to today's lesson.

In our lesson today, we are going to explore how Christians celebrate growing up and becoming responsible in their faith.

We'll look at some special ceremonies that help mark these big moments in a Christian's life.

The lesson is called Christian Rites of Passage: Confirmation and Believer's Baptism, from the unit, Rites of Passage: How Do Communities Mark Growing Up? The outcome of today's lesson is, I can explain why rights of passage are important to different Christians.

Before we start our lesson, let's look at some of the important words which will help us understand today's lesson.

The words are faith, confirmation, believer's baptism, and commitment.

Let's look at the definition.

The word faith is the belief that is not based on proof.

Confirmation is a ceremony where a person chooses to confirm their Christian faith and make promises to live as a Christian.

Believer's baptism, a baptism ceremony for older children or adults who choose to be baptised as an outward sign of following Jesus.

And finally, commitment.

Commitment is a promise or decision to stick to something, like staying faithful to Christian beliefs.

The lesson today has two cycles.

First, we are going to look at how to Christian celebrate growing up.

Let's get started.

Andeep explains how we use social science in religious education.

He says, "Social scientists are interested in how people live and how context, such as what they do and why, affects this.

We can better understand people's worldviews by looking at photographs or carrying out surveys or interviews to learn more about what people believe and why." In this lesson, we will be learning about different Christian rites of passage and whether they are same or different for Christians.

Izzy and Jun are discussing rites of passage.

They want to use the tools of social science to find out more.

Izzy says, "I know some Christians are baptised as babies to join their faith.

I wonder if this is the only ceremony." Jun replies, "I think we should look at some photographs and interview some Christians to see if they do similar or different things." Let's join Izzy and Jun on this journey to find out how do Christian celebrate growing up.

Jun has found a photograph.

Look very closely.

What can you see happening in this photograph? What colours or symbols can you see? Does it connect with anything you already know about? Have a think.

Let's go and find out.

Jun says he can see there are children kneeling in a church, and it looks like priests are blessing them.

Did you think of the same idea? Well done.

"The children are wearing white clothes.

I wonder what kind of ceremony this is." To find out more, Izzy and Jun interview Danielle.

She has a Christian worldview and attends a Roman Catholic church.

"What is happening in the photograph," ask Izzy and Jun.

Danielle explains that this is a ceremony called first communion.

It is something that Roman Catholic Christians take part in, and it is for children that have been baptised when they were babies.

But do we know what a first communion is? Let's find out.

First communion is a ceremony in a Roman Catholic church About the age of seven, children receive the bread and wine for the first time.

They can have confirmation with the bishop a few years later, perhaps when they are 11 or 12.

Let's see if you got that.

What is first communion? Is it receiving bread and wine for the first time, or a service where a baby is dedicated to God, or is it a party for young Christians? What do you think? That's correct.

First communion is receiving bread and wine for the first time.

It is a special ceremony that is held at a Roman Catholic church.

Well done if you chose that answer.

Great work.

Let's find out what happens at a first communion from Danielle.

Danielle remembers her first communion.

She says, "I still remember my first communion.

I wore a white dress, and everyone in my family came to church.

It was a really big day for all of us.

My parents were so proud, and my grandparents even took pictures.

When I received the bread for the first time, I felt responsible and grown up.

I felt like I was saying, 'Yes,' to following Jesus." This is Danielle on her first communion.

It was a special day of commitment and celebration for her and her whole family.

Can you see how Danielle's offered a piece of bread on her first communion? Great.

Let's see if you got that.

All Christians have a first communion, true or false? False, because we've just seen her first communion is a ceremony that only Roman Catholic Christians take part in.

Well done for choosing false as your answer.

Great work.

Jun now wonders, "What is confirmation? And is it for all Christians?" Confirmation is a special time when people say, "Yes," to God and to being part of the church.

It usually happens when you are a bit older, like a teenager, but the age can be different in a church.

During confirmation, a bishop or minister prays for you, and you show commitment to God.

Not all Christians have confirmation, but many do.

It's a way of confirming the promises made at baptism, and showing that you want to follow Jesus.

This is David.

He has a Christian worldview, and he attends an Anglican church.

He describes his confirmation.

Let's find out from him.

"When I was a baby, my parents made promises for me at my infant baptism.

Now that I'm older, I wanted to make promises myself.

So when I was 16, I had a special service called confirmation.

I stood in church and said, 'Yes, I want to follow Jesus.

' It was a proud moment.

It showed I'm growing in my faith.

I took my first communion on the same day." Time for another check.

Confirmation is, is it a special meal with friends, or promising to follow Jesus for yourself, or the first communion? What do you think? That's correct.

Confirmation is promising to follow Jesus for yourself.

Well done.

Time for our task.

Here we have David and Danielle, who both had a ceremony to mark growing up in their faith.

Can you think of one similarity and one difference between Danielle's first communion and David's confirmation ceremonies? You can pause the video now and come back when you're ready with your answers.

Let's check your answers.

You may have said, "David and Danielle both had ceremonies that helped them show they wanted to live as Christians now that they were older.

David had a confirmation service when he was 16.

He made his own promises to follow God.

At the service, a bishop or priest prayed for him, and blessed him as he made this special commitment.

However, as a Roman Catholic, Danielle also had her first communion when she was seven.

She wore a white dress, and all her family came to church.

She had communion bread for the first time." Well done if you included that information in your answer.

Great work.

We now know how Christians celebrate growing up.

Let's go and find out how do Christians celebrate becoming responsible.

Izzy and Jun are curious about how different Christian traditions celebrate the transition to responsibility, and they're thinking of some questions.

Izzy asks, "Do different Christian traditions show someone is ready to follow Jesus in different ways?" Jun questions, "Does everyone make that at the same time?" Izzy and Jun are speaking with Niamh, a Roman Catholic Christian who has celebrated her first communion.

"What was your special moment growing up in faith? Why was it so special," they ask Niamh.

Niamh replies and says that it was a special moment for her, her first communion.

It wasn't just about church.

It was a day when her whole family came together.

Niamh explains more and says, "For my first communion, I wore a beautiful dress and had a big party with food and music.

It felt like a family celebration.

It was special because it made me feel like I belonged and showed that I was growing up and becoming more responsible.

It was an important moment that helped shape who I am as a person and as part of my family's culture." Time for another check.

How did Niamh describe the importance of her first communion? Is it that it made her feel isolated from her community, she said, or, "It was just a routine ceremony for me," or, "It showed I was growing up and becoming responsible"? What do you think? That's correct.

It showed that she was growing up and becoming responsible.

That's a correct answer.

Well done.

Jun interviews Charlie.

Charlie has Christian worldview, and he attends a Baptist church.

"How do Baptists like you mark becoming responsible, Charlie?" Now, Charlie might have had a different ceremony.

"In the Baptist church, we have a really important ceremony.

It is called a believer's baptism.

This is why our church is called the Baptist church." Let's find out a little bit more from Charlie about the believer's baptism.

This is a photograph from Charlie's believer's baptism.

How does it look similar or different to other baptism ceremonies you may have seen? Look closely.

Great.

Let's find out.

Charlie says, "At my believer's baptism, I stood in a big pool at my Baptist church, and the pastor dipped me under the water.

It was a way of saying, 'This is my choice.

I want to live my life following Jesus.

'" Charlie describes why he had a believer's baptism.

Let's find out.

"Believer's baptism is important because I think I need to make the promise to follow Jesus for myself, and I'm old enough to understand the commitment.

This is why we don't baptise babies.

I had mine when I was 14." He continues, and he says, "It made me feel proud and grown up because it was my own special promise." Time for another check.

What did believer's baptism mark in Charlie's life? Is it the start of a family tradition, or his commitment to following Jesus, or a simple community event? What do you think? That's correct.

It marked his commitment to following Jesus.

Great work.

Time for your next task.

Are you ready? Here, we have Alex.

And Alex says, "I think all Christians mark their faith journey in the same way, and it means the same thing." Is Alex right? Explain whether you agree or disagree with him.

Can you give examples of Niamh's first communion or Charlie's believer's baptism in your answer? You can pause the video now and come back when you're ready to check your answers with me.

Let's check your answers.

You might have said, "Alex is not right.

Different Christians have different ceremonies.

Niamh and Danielle had a first communion when they were seven years old.

They made a promise to follow Jesus.

And the family celebrated with the big party.

Charlie had a believer's baptism when he was 14.

He wanted to make a commitment to his faith when he thought he was old enough to make the decision by himself himself." Well done if you included that information about Christians celebrating becoming responsible.

Great work.

Let's now go and recap our learning from today's lesson.

Today, we've learned that Christians have special ceremonies, like baptism, confirmation, and first communion, that show they are growing in their faith.

We also have learned that different Christian traditions celebrate these ceremonies in different ways, but all show people want to follow Jesus.

These ceremonies help Christians show they are responsible for their faith by making promises or commitments to follow Jesus.

Next time when you see a baptism or hear about confirmation, you'll know it's just not a tradition, it's also a sign of someone growing in their faith.

Thanks for your great listening today.

I hope you've enjoyed learning about how Christians grow in their faith.

Well done.

And I will see you in our next lesson.

Bye.