Rituals for Christianity

Lifetime Rituals/ Rites of Passage

• Dedicating Children to the Church: In Christianity, children are considered gifts from God. Pastors and parents can express their full gratitude to God by dedicating the baby to God. Some churches perform a ceremony that is very similar to a baptism and others perform a "dry baptism." This ceremony shows that the parents acknowledge that God is almighty and can provide many blessings. Baby dedications are also performed so the parents can ask God for grace and wisdom in helping them carry out their parenting responsibilities. Dedication is linked back to the book of Deuteronomy, specifically chapter six verses 4-7. These verses commands the parents to love God and hold the commandments close to their hearts. In verse 7 it says to "impress them on your children" meaning the word of God and the commandments are to be taught to your children. This ritual shapes communal identity because when the ceremony is performed the pastor involves the whole family and instructs them to always be a part of the child's life and contribute to teaching the child the principles of God. 
• Communion: The purpose of Communion is to reflect on Jesus Christ's sacrifice for our sins and to look forward to his return. Communion is powerfully symbolic and brings to life deeply spiritual truths in very concrete ways. In 1st Corinthians 11:27-36, The apostle Paul gives us many rules and regulations to be mindful of before taking Communion. "This bread represents my body, as often as ye eat it, do it in remembrance of me. This cup represents my blood, as often as ye drink it do it in remembrance of me." These two verses compare the body and blood of Jesus Christ to bread and wine, two simple things in everyday life that are taken without thought just as Jesus' sacrifice was for some people. It also talks about how people who have not been saved should not take part in the Last Supper. Communion service can change depending on what denomination you are in. Some denominations in actually drinking from a large chalice and others pass out individual communion cups. If Communion was not observed than Christians would not have a way to remember the greatest sacrifice of all made by Jesus and they would not have a chance to fellowship with their brothers and sisters of Christ.