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Sit, Stand, or Kneel? by The Rev. Betsy Hooper-Rosebrook, October 1994 Many of us grew up with the simple rule of stand to praise, sit to listen, kneel to pray. In recent years, however, it's not been so clear cut. This isn't change just for the sake of variety; it reflects an unfolding understanding of the congregation's role in worship and our relationship to God. We still sit to listen and stand to praise. Most of the confusion has to do with whether one should stand or kneel for prayer. Standing for prayer, including the entire Eucharistic prayer, isn't a new variation; it's a return to the practice of the early church. The Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. actually forbade kneeling for prayer on Sundays or the Great 50 Days of Easter! Standing is a means of showing the participation of the entire congregation in the prayer being said by the celebrant or intercessor, similar to saying "Amen" at the end of the prayer. The early church fathers interpreted standing for prayer and to receive communion in several ways: as a sign of our approach to God as God's children rather than as slaves, as a symbol of our being raised by Christ, as reminiscent of the command to eat of the Passover meal in haste so one may be ready to respond quickly to God's call. Posture thus can be understood as a powerful expression of some of the primary themes of our faith. Kneeling became the common practice in the Middle Ages in the western church only, when the congregation assumed a role more like onlookers to the priest's actions. Kneeling reflects a spirit of humility; today, it is still specified for the confession at Morning and Evening Prayer, for the Litany on Ash Wednesday, and for a person about to be ordained. At other times, when we're given a choice about postures (read the fine print - the rubrics- in the prayer book to find guidelines about posture at any particular point), kneeling may be an aid to expressing what is in your heart. You may find, as I do, that standing feels right on some days, kneeling on others; thinking about that at the start of the service helps me be aware of where I am in my relationship with God at the moment. You may also have a temporary or permanent physical condition that makes one position easier than the other; I've discovered that for a pregnant woman, getting up from kneeling is an un-centering (spiritually and physically) process, and knee problems have always made kneeling difficult for me. Although we're accustomed to everyone doing the same thing, it is quite proper for some of the congregation to be standing and some kneeling. Try both, and involve your whole body in worshipping God.
Copyright © 2004 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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