The Pharisees objected to people working on the Sabbath because the law forbade it (Exodus 34: 21)- their interpretation of the law (The oral law) was very strict. Jesus’ stresses the fact that God gave the Jews the Torah to help them, not to make their lives more difficult, therefore human needs come before religious laws. Jesus says the Sabbath was made for people’s benefit, not the other way round. He has authority to say this because the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. This outlook would have outraged the Pharisees, it was utterly alien to their way of thinking. Christians also believe that the Sabbath day is holy but Jesus’ teaching on the Sabbath changed the way in which it was practised. Firstly it came to be celebrated on Sunday, not Saturday - as Sunday was the day when Jesus rose from the dead. It is still considered a day of rest but it is not so legalistic, it is a time when Christians come together to worship. The has recently been controversy in Britain about Sunday trading, parliament passed a law allowing more shops to open on Sundays. Many Christians felt this was wrong as Christians might be forced to work preventing them from keeping it as a day of rest and a day for going to church, also it could damage family life as the only day many families spent together was a Sunday. Others also argued that Sunday would become just like any other day in the week.

At the last supper Jesus effectively changed the meaning of the Passover meal he was celebrating with his disciples into a memorial meal that they would come to celebrate after he had risen from the dead. Since the earliest times Christians have celebrated this meal in memory of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The words said at the Passover emphasis the Christian belief that Jesus offered up his own body as a sacrifice to save humanity from their sins.

Christians have sometimes disagreed about what Jesus meant when he said that the bread was his body and the wine was his blood. At the centre of the Eucharist for Christians is that Jesus died for all human beings. By taking part in the meal Christians feel that they are obeying Jesus’ own command to do this in remembrance of him. However there are other interpretations:

p Some Christians see the meal as being a re-enactment of Christ’s sacrifice

p Many Protestant Christians feel that Christ is spiritually present in the Eucharist, as in all acts of worship. The bread and wine are symbols of this presence.

p Others, like Roman catholics, believe that after the bread and wine have been blessed they somehow mysteriously change. They are no longer just bread and wine, although outwardly their appearance does not change. What happens is that they actually become the body and blood of Christ. His body and blood are truly present on the altar - this change is called transubstantiation. Christians who hold this view will not throw away any bread or wine that is left over.

There are differences in the way the Eucharist is celebrated among the churches but almost all celebrations have a similar pattern:

The ministry of the word - This part of the service, containing prayers, Bible readings, hymns, acts of confession and perhaps a sermon.

The taking of bread and wine - here worshippers are reminded of the origins of the Eucharist and the bread and wine are put on the altar or table;

The great thanksgiving (Eucharistic Prayer) - The bread and wine are consecrated - made holy.

In the Orthodox Church Holy Communion is distributed to the congregation by dipping a piece of bread in the wine and then giving it to them on a long spoon. Not every one will receive communion as it is considered an act that needs careful preparation - even though many people may be at the service only a few people will actually receive in any given service.

In the Baptist church the wine is often distributed in separate glasses by church leaders. People do not drink from the same cup but will from their won little cups together. In the Baptist church, and many other Protestant churches, the worship is directed towards the Bible and at the heart of the service there will be readings and preaching. The services also tend to be less formal than churches where the Eucharist is a the heart of the worship. In the Baptist church like many other Protestant churches holy communion will only take place every month of so.

In the Roman Catholic Church the Eucharist is the centre of worship, there will be readings and a sermon usually but the focal point is Holy Communion. People will receive the bread by going up to the altar and either kneeling on the altar steps or standing in front of the priest. In the Catholic church Mass takes place daily.

Baptism is the second sacrament accepted by nearly all Christians, it is seen as an extremely important part of Christian worship, it has much meaning and significance:

p People repent of sin and renunciate evil. (The parents and God parents in the case of infant baptism)

p It is the sign of a new life with Christ.

p It spiritually cleanses the person being baptised.

Most Christian denominations practise infant baptism as the child is welcomed in to the Christian community, also as they receive this sacrament they are given the strength it bestows from the earliest age. However, some Christians argue that infant Baptism is meaningless because the infant in too young to realise and appreciate what is going on. Also, some parents have their children baptised but have no intention of bringing them up in the Christian church.

In the early days, when infant baptism became widespread, it became necessary to have a later service which could ‘confirm’ the undertakings made during baptism. This became known as the rite of confirmation. The promised made on the infant’s behalf are made again publicly. The person being confirmed is of an age when he or she will be able to understand these promises.