Day 4 - Thy Kingdom Come

Today's theme... posture.

The 'traditional' (or, at least, most well known...) way to pray is to kneel, with hands together and eyes closed.
In church services, at different parts of the service people are often invited to stand or to sit (or kneel).    

(Brief segue...       Ideally, these invitations come with a reminder that it is an invitation,

or a suggestion of what most people do in that church, rather than being an instruction - those

who are unable to, or unwilling to, adopt certain positions do not in any way worship 'less well' than those who are following the 'local style'.)

Today's question is... why do we use different positions and actions in worship and prayer?

Part of the answer is to do with the symbolism of those positions...    lying down, kneeling, sitting. standing. They all carry different meanings, with different historic uses.

Because of this, and because they physically change the position of your body, each feels different to do.

Add in different actions, like bowing, making the sign of the cross, and so on, and there's a huge amount of meaning, symbolism and feeling going on. Some churches have a 'style', where (intentionally or not) most people do the same as those around them. This can be comforting - we are all worshipping the same God, after all. Or, it can cause distraction - 'what if I do it wrong?' or 'this doesn't feel quite right for me...I prefer to worship in this style', or 'but I am not able to stand - why do I keep being asked/told to?'




Here's a few articles about different ways of using your body in worship
(by no means the 'final' or 'correct' say, just a way in to thinking about it!)


A couple of viewpoints about posture in worship:

'To stand or kneel? That is the question!'

'What is the right position for prayer?'


One about making the sign of the cross:

The sign of the cross: What it is and why it matters


And, one about posture that includes things like bowing and genuflection:

Ceremonial in worship



(Other views about postures and actions are available!)




A Bible reading for reflection and prayer today:


I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121.1-2

♫  and a music suggestion... Vaughan Williams'  O clap your hands