Prayer and Pilgrimage (1RB0)

Prayer and pilgrimage

Two ways Christians live out their faith are prayer, communicating with God, and pilgrimage, journeying to a holy place. This module looks at the main types of Christian prayer, the Lord's Prayer that Jesus taught, and famous places of Christian pilgrimage, along with why denominations value pilgrimage differently.

Types of prayer

Christians pray in several ways:

What is set prayer?

What is set prayer, also called liturgical prayer?

• Prayer that uses fixed, written words, such as the Lord's Prayer
• Spontaneous prayer made up in your own words
• Silent prayer that uses no words at all
• Prayer that can only be said outdoors

Match each place of pilgrimage

Do you need to go?

Christians disagree about how important pilgrimage is, even though Jesus' own family travelled to Jerusalem for festivals (Luke 2:41-43).

Spot the pilgrimage sites

Select the TWO places that are famous Christian pilgrimage sites.

• Jerusalem, in the Holy Land
• Iona, a Scottish island
• Mecca, in Saudi Arabia
• The summit of Mount Everest

The Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer is the prayer Jesus taught his followers when they asked him how to pray (Matthew 6:5-14). Almost all Christians use it, in church and privately. It moves from praising God ("hallowed be thy name") to asking for daily needs, for forgiveness, and to be kept from evil. Because Jesus gave it, it is the model for all Christian prayer.

Complete the picture

Prayer using fixed words, such as the _____ Prayer, is called set prayer. Spontaneous prayer in your own words is called _____ prayer. A journey to a holy place made for spiritual reasons is a _____. The city of _____, where Jesus died and rose, is an important Christian pilgrimage site. Many _____ Christians see pilgrimage as helpful but not necessary.

The Lord's Prayer in order

The Lord's Prayer moves through several ideas. Put them in the order they come.

• Address God as Father in heaven
• Praise and honour God's name
• Ask for God's kingdom and will to come
• Ask God for our daily bread
• Ask for forgiveness, as we forgive others
• Ask to be kept from temptation and evil

Why might a Protestant not go?

Why might some Protestant Christians choose not to go on pilgrimage?

• They believe God can be worshipped anywhere, so it is not necessary
• Because the Bible bans all forms of travel
• Because only Catholics are allowed to pray
• Because prayer is against their religion

Set prayer or not?

Tap the TWO examples of set, or liturgical, prayer.

• A congregation reciting the Lord's Prayer together.
• A person praying quietly in their own words before bed.
• A church reading fixed prayers from the Book of Common Prayer.
• A friend saying a spontaneous prayer of thanks over a meal.
• Someone silently telling God their worries in their own words.

Name the practice

For each situation, choose what it describes.

• A church says the same fixed words from a prayer book each Sunday. What kind of prayer is this?
• A group of young people travel to a community in France to pray and seek reconciliation. Where might they go?
• A Protestant says they do not need to travel to a holy place to feel close to God. Which view is this?

Explain pilgrimage

Explain why some Christians go on pilgrimage, and why others think it is not necessary.

• State what a pilgrimage is
• Give two reasons a Christian might go on pilgrimage
• Name one Christian place of pilgrimage
• Explain why many Protestants see pilgrimage as helpful but not necessary