Lesson video

Hi, my name's Miss Minton, and welcome to this Christianity: Practises lesson on the sacraments.

Now, by the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain the role and meaning of the sacraments and diverse beliefs about the sacraments within Christianity.

Now, lots of our learning today will probably be new to you, but please don't worry because I'm here to guide you through each step of our lesson, and I'm confident that by the end, you will achieve this outcome.

So let's get started by taking a look at our keywords for today.

We have baptism, Eucharist, and Holy Communion, and sacrament.

Now, baptism refers to the sacrament where people become members of the church, and this involves using water as a symbol of washing away sin.

The Eucharist or Holy Communion means thanksgiving, and it's a sacrament in which the death and resurrection of Jesus are celebrated, using bread and wine.

And finally, a sacrament is an outward sign of an invisible and inward blessing by God.

And examples of sacraments are baptism and the Eucharist.

Now our lesson today will have two parts.

We'll start by looking at the sacraments and we'll then move on to look at diverse beliefs about the sacraments.

So let's get started with the sacraments.

Now, to get started, I would like you to consider what important milestones and events take place in a person's life, and how are these celebrated? So pause the video and either talk to a partner, have a think to yourself or talk to me.

Off you go.

So as part of your thinking time or your discussion, you may have considered events or milestones such as pregnancy or the birth of a child, and that these might be celebrated through baby showers and family gatherings.

You may have considered marriage or civil partnerships and that these are usually celebrated through wedding ceremonies, a service or a family celebration.

Maybe you considered academic achievements and you might have considered celebrations like graduation or prom.

Or perhaps you considered birthdays and how birthdays are celebrated through parties, meals or gatherings with friends and family.

Or maybe you considered what happens at the end of a person's life when they pass away.

And that usually this will involve funerals, memorials, or even fundraisers and charity events in honour of that person.

Now, within Christianity, there are also particular occasions and events that are celebrated, but these are celebrated because they help individuals grow in their relationship with God.

And these are known as sacraments.

Now, sacraments are rites and rituals where the believer receives God's grace, so they receive God's unconditional and undeserved love.

Now, because God's grace is invisible, so it can't be seen, the sacraments are often described as a visible and outward sign of God's invisible grace.

So let's check your understanding.

Which of the following refers to an outward and visible sign of God's invisible grace? A: sacrifice, B: sacrament, C: service, or D: salvation? Fantastic.

The correct answer is sacrament.

Well done.

Now, beliefs about sacraments and participation in sacraments can actually differ widely across different Christian denominations.

And some Christian denominations actually celebrate up to seven sacraments.

And these are: baptism, which is the sacrament where an individual is welcomed into the church, so into the Christian community.

And this can happen either when an individual is a baby or a very young child, or it can happen as an adult.

Another sacrament is the Eucharist, which is also known as Holy Communion.

And this is the sacrament that remembers Jesus' sacrifice through bread and wine, and it's often seen as a reenactment of the Last Supper.

There is also reconciliation, which is also known as confession.

And this is where an individual confesses and owns up to their sins and seeks forgiveness from God.

Some Christians also celebrate confirmation as a sacrament, which is when an individual renews their baptismal promises.

And this usually takes place during early teenage years when an individual is seen as being old enough to confirm the vows that were made on their behalf during baptism.

In some denominations there's also holy orders, which is where an individual is ordained as a figure of authority within a church community.

Now this sacrament usually only applies to men.

For some Christians marriage is also seen as a sacrament.

And marriage is when two people join together as a couple and they make vows during a ceremony where God is believed to be present.

And finally, the anointing of the sick is also seen by some Christians to be a sacrament.

And the anointing of the sick is usually given to people who are very unwell or they're coming towards the end of their life.

And it involves using oil as a sign of blessing and healing and it's believed to give spiritual strength to the individual.

Now, many Christians celebrate some or all of these sacraments for a number of different reasons, and these can include that sacraments are seen as a way to become closer to God, that some Christians see these sacraments as tradition.

So they've been happening for many, many years.

They also affirm an individual is part of the body of Christ, so they're part of the Christian community.

Many Christians also see the sacraments as a way to follow Jesus' example.

So for example, in the gospel of Matthew, we can read about Jesus' baptism.

So when Christians are baptised, it's seen as following Jesus' example.

And also these sacraments can mark significant events in the life of a Christian.

So let's check your understanding.

True or false? There are seven sacraments that are celebrated by all Christians.

Fantastic.

That statement is false.

But why is that statement false? Well, it's because some Christians do celebrate up to seven sacraments, but this isn't true for all Christians.

Some Christians actually only celebrate some of those sacraments, and some Christians actually don't celebrate any.

It's now time for a task.

I would like you to explain two reasons why Christians might celebrate the sacraments.

And in your response, you should refer to sacred writings or another source of religious belief and teaching in your answer.

Here's some guidance that you might find helpful when responding to this task.

For both reasons, offer a point.

So give one reason that Christians may celebrate the sacraments, and then develop that point by explaining why this is.

For one of those reasons you should also name a source of authority.

This may be from the Bible, it may be something that Jesus said or did.

You should then also say what that teaches.

Now that might be a quotation or it could be a general belief or teaching.

And then finally, you should apply that to the sacraments.

So say what that means or what that shows in relation to the sacraments.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you were asked to explain two reasons why Christians might celebrate the sacraments, and your response might be similar to this: "One reason that Christians may celebrate the sacraments is because they're seen as tradition.

The Gospel of Matthew describes Jesus being baptised.

This means that Christians may wish to follow Jesus' example and also be baptised, leading to baptism becoming a tradition.

Another reason why Christians might celebrate the sacraments is because they affirm an individual is part of the Christian community and the body of Christ.

This is because when Christians celebrate the sacraments, they're showing their commitment to their religion and beliefs." Now, what you might notice from my response is that I have used the Gospel of Matthew and Jesus' baptism as my source.

You may have used the same source or you might have used something different, and that's absolutely fine, as long as you've also been able to apply that to the sacraments and show its relevance.

So well done again for you work on that task.

We're now moving on to the second part of our lesson, which is to look at diverse beliefs about the sacraments.

Now, beliefs about the sacraments and participation in the sacraments does actually differ widely across Christian denominations, with some Christians celebrating all seven sacraments, some only celebrating baptism and Holy Communion, and other Christians actually not celebrating any of the sacraments at all.

So we are now going to take a look at some Christian denominations and how they view and participate in the sacraments, starting with the Roman Catholic Church.

Now in the Roman Catholic Church, all seven sacraments are celebrated, and these are: baptism, reconciliation, Holy Communion or the Eucharist, confirmation, marriage, holy orders, and the anointing of the sick.

Now in Orthodox Christian Churches, usually seven sacraments are accepted, but these are often referred to as Holy Mysteries.

Now these sacraments are similar to the Roman Catholic Church, but there are some differences in the names of the sacraments and when in a person's life these occur.

So for example, Chrismation is similar to confirmation, but it occurs immediately after baptism.

In many Orthodox churches.

In Protestant denominations, usually two sacraments are accepted and these are baptism and Holy Communion.

Now, some Protestant churches such as Quakers actually don't celebrate any of the sacraments, so not even Holy Communion or baptism.

So let's now check your understanding.

True or false? Orthodox Christian churches often refer to the sacraments as Holy Mysteries.

Fantastic.

That statement is true, well done.

Now you might be wondering, why are there different beliefs across Christianity about the sacraments? And we're going to take a look at that now.

So in the Roman Catholic Church, it's taught that the sacraments were instituted by Jesus, and this means that there's biblical foundation for each of the seven sacraments, which is why many Roman Catholics today celebrate all seven sacraments.

Within Orthodox Christian churches it's taught that Jesus instituted the sacraments as part of his ministry, and these sacraments were then passed down through the apostles and have been a tradition within Orthodox Christianity since then.

Now in Protestant Christian denominations, usually a set of teachings known as the 39 Articles of Religion are Followed, and the 39 Articles of Religion states that baptism and Holy Communion are the only sacraments and that the other sacraments are invented by humans and are not sacraments of the gospel.

So now let's check your understanding.

Which source of authority states that there are only two sacraments? A: the Catechism of the Catholic Church, B: the Bible, C: the 39 Articles of Religion, or D: The Nicene Creed? Fantastic.

The correct answer is C.

It's the 39 Articles of Religion that states that there are only two sacraments.

Well done.

Jason and Ji-eun are both religious leaders within their church communities and they're discussing their differing beliefs about the sacraments.

Father Jason, who is a Catholic priest, says this: "The Catholic church teaches that the sacraments are special signs given by God to help people grow closer to him.

There are seven sacraments in the Catholic Church and each one is a way that God shares his love and grace with us.

Each sacrament helps Christians live a life of faith, and they're all connected to important parts of a person's journey with God." Ji-eun is a Methodist minister, and Methodism is a Protestant denomination.

She explains her beliefs about the sacraments.

She says: "The Methodist church teaches that sacraments are special actions that help us feel closer to God and they remind us of his love and grace.

The Methodist Church, like many other Protestant Churches, teaches that Jesus gave two main sacraments, baptism, and Holy Communion.

Everyone is welcome to take part in these and they help us grow in faith and live more like Jesus." So what we can see from Ji-eun's explanation and Father Jason's explanation is that both of these Christian denominations see sacraments as important actions that can bring a person closer to God, but there is a difference in how many sacraments these individuals believe in and the importance of these.

So let's now imagine that I've been asked to give one way beliefs about the sacraments differ within Christianity.

I've said that the number of sacraments differs across Christian denominations.

Now I'm going to ask you the same question.

So I'd also like you to give one way beliefs about the sacraments differ within Christianity.

So pause the video and have a go.

So you may have said that Orthodox Christians refer to the sacraments as Holy Mysteries, or that Orthodox Christians have Chrismation, which happens immediately after baptism.

Or you may have said that some Christian denominations do not celebrate any of the sacraments.

So well done if you have one of those answers or something similar.

It's now time for a task.

I'd like you to explain two different Christian views on the sacraments.

Here's some guidance that you might find helpful when responding to this task.

You might like to use the structure of point, develop, point, develop, and this could look something like this: Offer a point giving one Christian view on the sacraments, and then develop that point by explaining that view and giving examples.

Then offer a second point giving a different Christian view on the sacraments.

And then again, develop that point by explaining that view and giving examples.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you were asked to explain two different Christian views on the sacraments, and your response might be similar to this: "One Christian view on the sacraments is that there are seven sacraments instituted by Jesus.

This view is held by the Roman Catholic Church and it's believed that Jesus gave visible signs of God's grace, meaning that the seven sacraments originate from Jesus' teachings and actions.

A different Christian view on the sacraments is that there are only two sacraments, which are baptism and Holy Communion.

Many Protestant denominations hold this view and believe that baptism and Holy Communion are the only sacraments that are taught in the Bible." So what you can see from my response is that the two Christian views I've given about the sacraments are different.

And that's really important in your answer as well, because that's what the task has asked for.

It's asked for two different Christian views on the sacraments.

So well done if you've been able to give these different views and explain them.

We've now reached the end of our lesson.

But before we finish, let's take a look at some of the key things that we've learned today.

So we've learned that sacraments are rites and rituals where a believer receives God's grace, but that there are diverse beliefs about the number of sacraments and their significance across Christian denominations.

We have seen though that the sacraments can help Christians grow closer to God and feel part of the Christian community for those who celebrate them.

We looked at how the Catholic Church teaches that there are seven sacraments and that many Orthodox Christians also accept seven sacraments, but refer to them as Holy Mysteries.

And we saw that many Protestant denominations actually only accept two sacraments, which are baptism and Holy Communion.

And we look at how some Protestant Christians, such as Quakers, actually don't celebrate any sacraments at all.

So well done for all of your hard work this lesson.

It's been wonderful learning with you today.