Lent reminds Christians of Jesus’ temptations during his forty days in the wilderness at the start of his ministry. It begins on Ash Wednesday when Christians traditionally deny themselves luxuries. The day before Ash Wednesday, called Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day, was traditionally the day when a feast of pancakes used up the luxuries in the house ready for a period of abstinence. During the last week of Lent, called Passion Week, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are especially important days for Christian observance. Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem with Palm crosses given out. Maundy Thursday remembers the institution of the Last Supper and in many churches people’s feet are washed by the priest. Good Friday is the day upon which Jesus was crucified. Often there are long services, passion plays or processions. Easter Sunday marks the end of Lent and celebrates the empty tomb and Jesus’ resurrection. This is probably the most important day of the year for practicing Christians. Whit Sunday comes 50 days after Easter and marks the time when the gift of the Holy Spirit came to the believers of the early church, known as Pentecost.

In addition to the above, some churches will remember and celebrate the lives of past saints, and particularly that of the patronal saint where a church is named after one (e.g. St Mary’s Church). On most days of the Church calendar one or more past saints can be remembered and celebrated.

Orthodox and Catholic churches give particular emphasis to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the saints, and their churches will be filled with images of them. In the Orthodox tradition, this emphasises that when in worship, they are surrounded by previous Christians down through the ages, as one big, continuing family of faith. Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians both believe that the saints join with, and help, in their prayers to God. Catholics and Orthodox also express great devotion towards relics of past saints (bones, hair, clothes, etc.), often setting these in special statues or caskets and making these into places of pilgrimage, and sites of special blessing.

Protestants have generally shown less interest in saints, emphasising instead that all Christians are called to live holy and dedicated lives. Some protestants, such as Oliver Cromwell, were so against the veneration of saints that they destroyed their relics and memorials, as an expression of iconoclasm.

Although not all Christian denominations practice the sacraments (defined as sacred acts which channel God’s grace), most do officially recognise and mark key rites of passage in Christian growth and development, including birth, entering into adulthood, marriage, and death.

The Roman Catholic Church recognises seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, reconciliation, anointing of the sick, marriage and holy orders. These can be divided into three categories: sacraments of initiation, of healing, and of service. Traditionally, Catholics and Orthodox believe that these special graces are available only through the ministry of their particular Church, although there has been some growing acceptance of each other’s ministry in recent years.

Protestant churches will generally recognise baptism and holy communion as special commands of Jesus, but do not accept that for instance, the bread and wine of communion become the actual body and blood of Jesus (transubstantiation) as Catholics and Orthodox do. Rather, they would interpret Jesus words (“This is my body… this is my blood”) as metaphorical (giving spiritual nourishment), or as giving special spiritual blessings, but according to your faith rather than as a result of the actions of a priest.

Religious symbolism permeates all aspects of the religious life. For Christians, symbolism is in use in devotional practice such as genuflection or ‘crossing’, in acts of worship in the liturgy, even in the architectural design of the building, the church, chapel or cathedral. Christian symbolism is apparent in the art of stained-glass windows, the poetry of hymns, and the music of an oratorio.

Today Christians often wear symbols as personal reminders or as public witness to their faith, or simply as an expression of their religious identity. Perhaps the most popular of such symbols today are the cross and the fish, sometimes seen as a cross neckless, a fish placed on the boot of the car, or a religious logo on a tee-shirt. Clergy will often wear distinctive clothing during church services, and may also wear a ‘dog collar’ for the rest of the week in order to indicate their special calling within the community.

The cross is the principal symbol by which Christianity is now recognised. It reflects the central belief in the sacrifice and death of Jesus of Nazareth. Over time, the form of the cross has been altered by different denominations to reflect their own traditions. However, it is likely that the earliest Christian symbol (dating from the 2nd century CE) was in fact, the fish, derived from the acrostic ICTHUS in Greek, meaning ‘Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour’.

Other symbols are visible through ‘secular’ literature. Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ and CS Lewis’ ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ are explicit in their use of symbolism to convey the Christian message of salvation. Many other writers, such as Evelyn Waugh, use implicit religious symbolism. This is a common pattern in much western art, music and literature.

The language of devotion, worship and theology often carries a meaning of a symbolic rather than a literal nature. This is most apparent for many Christians in the rich language of the Eucharist. A priest in the Anglican tradition says, ‘Take eat, this is my body’ and ‘Drink ye all of this, for this is my blood’. This is clearly not meant in a literal sense but in a mystical way, affirming the life-changing nature of the Kingdom of God at work in the body of the church.

When a Christian bows before the cross, kneels in the pew for prayer, genuflects at the blessing, or holds up his/her hands to receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit, symbolic expressions of belief are being made. Thus, a direct relationship exists between beliefs, emotions and actions, indicating belief in an all-powerful God, but also recognition of His presence, and acknowledgement of His holiness and honour.

In a time when literacy was limited, it was perhaps inevitable that symbolism in art and architecture would develop in order to convey the depth and meaning of religious ideas and stories. The writers of the Gospels themselves became symbolic characters represented in churches: St Luke as an ox, St Mark a lion, St Matthew a man, St John an eagle. Architecture of churches and cathedrals developed symbolic structure, such as the spire representing a finger pointing heavenward, the footprint of the cathedral based on the shape of the cross and the altar a place of sacrifice as well as a table for eating the Lord’s meal. Even clothing worn by clergy, the materials used in making vestments and chalices, altar cloths and stained-glass windows are enhanced by the symbolic themes accorded them.

In medieval times, when Europe was more explicitly religious, most artists and craftsmen used symbolic representation in their works to express stories from the scriptures, or aspects of God and his creation. In time a whole language of symbols and colours developed to represent the deeper tenets of Christian faith. For instance, Mary the mother of Jesus was always dressed in blue to represent her honour as ‘Queen of Heaven’, and Jesus’ robe was always coloured both red and blue, representing both his human and divine natures. Saints were given a halo, and individually recognised by the symbols attached to them (e.g. St Peter’s keys, reminding us that he was the one to whom Jesus said, “I give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven”).

For all Christians of all denominations, the artefacts and the architecture of their buildings will reflect their beliefs about the faith. Thus, where Quakers might choose simplicity in the surroundings in order to focus on the light of God within them, Anglicans or Catholics would maintain that the beauty and grandeur of a church or a cathedral has the ability to create a sense of wonder and awe. In this way, the architecture and design of a Church will often indicate the beliefs and theological emphases of that particular denomination.

In England, because it is the officially recognised national church the Church of England, Anglican churches can be found in every single parish in the country. In Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales there are also Anglican Churches; Church of Ireland, Church of Scotland, Church in Wales. Roman Catholic churches are fewer in number in the UK, but these also have traditional parish boundaries. Free churches do not have designated ‘boundaries’ in this sense, but are ‘gathered churches’, being built and established wherever there is need.

Many Anglican churches are shaped as a cross from an aerial perspective, with high spires and arches which reach up to heaven. Since the altar is symbolic of the death of Jesus, and the table for the central act of worship is found at the front of the church, so therefore the pews must face in that direction. Also, because praying on one’s knees is important as a sign of respect, pews will have kneelers to make this more convenient.

The traditional plan for an Anglican church is the nave for the congregation, the chancel where the choir sits and the priest officiates, and the sanctuary, which contains the altar. Within the church are numerous artefacts and symbols that aid worship, devotions and ritual practices. The font, the altar, the crucifix or cross, candles, stained glass windows, pulpit and lectern, all have symbolic and practical uses.

A Chapel is a place of worship in the Christian tradition of non-conformist groups such as the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church, and the Baptist Church. The word Chapel is also used for individual units within larger Anglican and Catholic churches. Most non-conformist chapels are less ornate but may have similar features and artefacts to a parish church; however, they often place much more emphasis on the pulpit and the preaching of God’s Word. Today many churches meet in re-purposed buildings such as old cinemas and schools, or attempt to bring church to new groups, such as on beaches or town centre cafes. As noted, church is not about the building, but about the people and the work they do.

Because churches and chapels are ‘sacred space’, their main function is for offering prayer and worship to God; however, they are often also used for other purposes, including musical and public events, venues for voting, youth group events, children’s playgroups, etc.

A Cathedral is the central church of a diocese and is the ‘Seat’ of the bishop. There are 42 Anglican dioceses in England, each having a cathedral in the main town or city of that diocese. Each diocese is then subdivided into parishes, each providing locally what the cathedral represents regionally.

Christian worship is generally ‘congregational’. It developed out of Jewish worship practice which had been congregational for centuries. Alongside this, Jesus’ saying in Matthew 18:20, (“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”) suggests a pattern for corporate worship. Sunday is also the traditional day of gathered worship for Christians. This is in remembrance that Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday. It is also likely that Sunday took great importance in the early church in order to distinguish it from the Jewish practice of worship on the Sabbath (Friday evening/Saturday).

Traditional Anglican or Church of England practice is to have two or three services on a Sunday. These were Morning Prayer, Matins and Evensong. These services included prayers, hymns, readings from the Bible, Collects and a sermon. In recent years, Matins has often been replaced by a ‘Eucharistic’ form of service. In these services, the priest leads a form of worship based on the Last Supper that Jesus had with his disciples, often called holy communion, which Roman Catholics call Mass, the Orthodox call the Liturgy, and non-conformists call the Lord’s Supper. Here, bread and wine is blessed and distributed, although usually only confirmed members of the church are allowed to receive this. These services normally start at about 10am on a Sunday and last about an hour in total.

Non-conformist services tend to be based on the ‘Word’ rather than on communion and so the place of the Bible and the preaching of the minister takes greater significance. Hymns, anthems and popular music are often more central but traditional practices like reading scripture also take place. Pentecostal churches particularly engage in a more emotive form of worship, bringing the holy spirit to the church congregation. People might feel forgiven, healed or uplifted by the experience.

Central to all Christian worship is prayer. This is a core element of all congregational worship, but also an intrinsic part of everyday Christian living. Sometimes it has been referred to as the breath of Christian practice. Many of Jesus’ teachings and parables are about prayer, and St Paul says in one of his letters, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5). Jesus’ injunction, “But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6) confirms that private individual prayer is a required complement to congregational worship.

The Lord’s Prayer (so called, because Jesus asked his disciples to pray this way) is one of many well-known liturgical prayers. Others include the Nunc Dimittis, the Jesus Prayer of the Orthodox Church, and the Prayer of St Francis.

Christian prayer has been described as of several types: prayers of praise and thanksgiving, prayers of confession and repentance, and prayers of request or pleading. Sometimes prayer is also wordless however, just sitting in God’s presence. In this sense, Christian prayer might simply be thought of as communing with God, or living in the presence of God, and many Christians would make it their aim to live in this state all of the time.

Christians see themselves as a community of faith, dependent upon the support of each other. St Paul stressed this in many of his letters to early church communities: “The body is not one member but many… If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it” (I Corinth. 12). Church members see themselves as the earthly embodiment of the ‘Kingdom of God’ and so try to live out the life, teaching, work, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The importance of a church building to the community as a whole is to provide a physical symbol of the presence of Christianity within that community. The parish church in any community provides a natural contact with the rites of passage, of baptism, marriage and death that many people who would not normally attend church for Sunday worship, still participate in. The church also provides opportunities not only for worship, but also opportunities to learn about the faith through Bible studies, and prayer and discussion groups. Church groups also meet for social occasions and mission activities that might take them out into the community. Such activities might provide support and facilities for disadvantaged groups like single mothers, older people and the unemployed. Churches increasingly manage and support food banks and other measures to alleviate poverty and disadvantage. The church can therefore be an important part of the social fabric of any community, and the Cathedral is often significant for regional confirmations, ordinations, and a range of civic events such as university graduations, Remembrance services, commemoration events, etc.

John Bunyan (1628-88) author of the allegorical ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ illustrates the Christian life as a journey, through which Pilgrim seeks the right path, and in the process discovers greater depths of Christian truth. Many Christians also see life in this way -as a pilgrimage- and believe that God guides and supports them on this journey, just as a parent looks after and cares for a growing child.

Christians mark times of transition within this journey with various celebrations or ceremonies of passing. The birth of a baby for instance is a time of great promise and thanks are given for the start of a new life. Some Christians mark this with Infant Baptism or christening, which brings the new baby into membership of the church and so starts that child on the path of faith. God parents (and the parents themselves) will promise to guide the child in the Christian faith. The Baptist Church and some other non-conformist denominations leave baptism until adolescence so that a person may decide for themselves whether to commit to the faith. Such churches may hold a Service of Thanksgiving at the time when the baby is born instead of a baptism.

Where a child has been baptised as a baby, this is usually followed when they are a young teenager by a service known as Confirmation. This is usually led by the bishop, and often held in a cathedral. Here, the child confirms the promises made for them as a child by their parents and God-parents, and the bishop asks God to send the Holy Spirit to guide them in their developing faith. At this point they are invited to participate fully in the Eucharist (Holy Communion), and from here-on they take full responsibility for their own Christian life and service.