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The most simple, traditional description of posture in worship
is this:
We sit to listen.
We kneel to pray.
We stand to praise.
We sit to listen.
This posture embodies passivity and receptivity. We are not
actively doing something, such as singing (except for the Psalm),
praying, or even reading. We are externally passive but internally
active recipients of what is being offered whether in words
or in music. Our eyes and ears are fixed on the presenter(s),
and we are eagerly attentive. Sitting requires more than quietness
on our part. It requires focus. It means we are not reading,
writing, or doodling, but listening. The only exception to this
is small children, who have the unique gift of doing something
else while listening; a gift usually lost by the time adulthood
is reached.)
Reading the printed lessons along with the lector
is discouraged except when absolutely necessary, as in the
case of hearing impairment. Scripture is meant to be heard,
not read.
Watching musicians is not always necessary, of course,
provided the focus is not lost.
Sometimes minds wander, as words or music revive old memories
or foster new ideas. This is not unusual, nor is it always
counterproductive, as long as the consciousness remains rooted
in the theme at hand.
We kneel to pray.
This posture embodies reverence and humility, not necessarily
sadness or guilt. To be on one's knees is to reduce one's mobility.
It is a posture of passivity and receptivity far deeper than
that of sitting. Unless holding a book, one's hands are folded
and one's eyes are closed. Unless praying, one is silent and
motionless. Kneeling is appropriate for the Confession and
Absolution , the Prayers of the Church, and receiving
communion. (Persons who cannot kneel may sit, of course, or
at communion they may stand.) Some reject kneeling in worship,
arguing that it is an out-of-date posture based on the distinction
between kings and their subjects. Ironically, many sects, cults,
and gangs regularly practice it. If God is indeed the Creator,
Redeemer, and Sustainer of all things, it would not seem to
be inappropriate to kneel in awe before him.
We stand to praise.
This posture is the most physically active of all. To stand
at attention (without leaning on a pew!) is to honor the presence
of the Holy One and to present oneself as an eager volunteer
for missional assignment. We stand for most hymns and for certain
portions of the liturgy. We stand for the Creed. And we stand
for the Benediction. We also stand for the reading of the Gospel,
which, unlike the other lessons, tells a story about what Jesus
said or did. It is also good ecclesiastical etiquette for the
people to stand when a pastor or crucifer enters the chancel,
showing respect not for the person but for the Holy One thereby
represented.
Walking
is the primary means to move about the nave. Except for processions
and communion, the people do not enter the chancel, but move
to and from their seats by way of the wall aisles. The nave
is very alive acoustically, and the floor allows footsteps to
be audible. That can be embarrassing, but it also shows that
where we walk and how we walk are not kept secret from God or
our neighbors, but bear witness to our life style as baptized
Christians. Audible footsteps symbolize the way in which we
appropriate and express our faith.
Gestures by the people include:
The sign of the cross is made by touching the forehead,
and then the left shoulder and the right (In Western Christendom)
or the right shoulder and then the left (in Eastern Christendom).
It symbolizes the Holy Trinity and is appropriate whenever the
pastor makes the sign of the cross. Some use it also as an act
of personal piety before and after receiving communion and in
their devotions before and after the service.
Bowing is done when the cross passes in procession
by some (usually Roman Catholic and Episcopal in background),
when the words in the Creed refer to the Incarnation (Episcopal),
or before and after receiving communion (Lutheran Church -
Missouri Synod).
Shaking hands is done in connection with the Passing
of the Peace.
Gestures by the pastor include:
The sign of the cross which is made with a downstroke
followed by a stroke from left to right. The pastor often holds
fingers one and two together at the top (symbolic of the two
natures of Christ--divine and human) and the thumb and fingers
three and four at the bottom (symbolic of the Trinity).
The hands held at shoulder height is an ancient posture
for prayer. The pastor does this when presiding at Communion.
The ancient rabbinic tradition was to form the Hebrew letter
that looks like W, the first letter of Shalom,
which means Peace, when the Benediction is said. It
can be formed with the thumb, fingers one and two, and fingers
three and four. It can also be formed with the thumb, fingers
one and two and three, and finger four, in order to avoid
confusion with Spock's Vulcan greeting (which, incidentally,
Leonard Nimoy got from watching the rabbi in his synagogue).
Copyright 1996 Edwin
D. Peterman. All Rights Reserved.
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The
Wonder of Worship: The Posture of Worship