Christian Worship Practice

Sunday worship on the Sabbath is the key Christian ritual, with special emphasis on the Easter and Christmas ceremonies.  Sunday is the day of worship rather than Saturday because Sunday is the day of the Lord’s resurrection.  Thus, every Sunday is a little Easter celebration.  Worship centers on Bible readings and their interpretation with sermons and testimonials.  Prayers, hymns, chants and the Lord’s Supper, or the Eucharistic meal, remain a mainstay of most Christian worship services.  The various Christian symbolic actions or sacraments grow out of a Trinitarian baptism based on a belief in Jesus Christ.

Protestant Reformation

The Augustinian priest, Martin Luther (1483-1546) was one of the first to point out that Scripture alone, without the Church interpretation was enough.  With the invention of the printing press in the late 15th century and the growth of the new vernacular languages, printing and translating the Bible was an important element in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century.  Sermons on Bible readings took on a new importance.  The printed Bible book also became an icon.  There were immediate difficulties within this reform movement over the question of the clear meaning of Scripture.  Each group and even each individual within the group began to interpret Scripture as they saw fit.