“Why Do We Do THAT?”

“Why do we do THAT ?” Exploring the “what” and “how” of freedom in worship – #6 Kneel – v. To fall or rest on bent knees. (Am. Heritage Dictionary) For me, the concept of kneeling has two prominent associations: (1) a scene from the Middle Ages in which a knight, fully-armed, kneels before a king to receive a particular title or rank of significance; and (2) within the Catholic church, where parishioners routinely kneel at designated points in the Liturgy. The obvious problem, however, is that very few of us (i.e. modern-day Protestants) have any relevant understanding of the act of kneeling in any context, and most especially not within the context of our contemporary worship service. But before we simply write off the practice of kneeling as something both chronologically and culturally irrelevant, let’s take in a little “food for thought.” As previously mentioned, kneeling was a common expression of humility in the Middle Ages, where kingdoms, manors, knights and lords comprised the culture’s operating paradigm. One in a position of service might approach the lord of the manor (the ruler of the estate), bow on one knee, and with a lowered head utter the greeting, “Your lordship.” Anything less would have been taken as an act of insubordination. In Biblical history, specifically in the third chapter of the book of Esther, kneeling is mentioned in a similar context. In verse 2, Mordecai refuses “to kneel down or pay honor to” the prime minister, Haman, much to the king’s fury. In cases like these, the physical gesture of kneeling communicates a visible, intentional lowering of self in submission to someone in a position of greater authority. Additionally, the fact that kneeling so drastically abbreviates one’s stature automatically makes it a powerful display of relinquished pride, especially in our own very arrogant and self-centered society. “Joshua Journey Ministries” has tapped into this power through their youth-oriented program called “30 Second Kneel Down” (30KD). 30KD is an organized movement through which teens are encouraged to make just such a compelling visible statement for Christ in their schools by kneeling at their lockers in prayer for 30 seconds each morning. But in a worship service, why in the world do we kneel? For the modern-day Believer, kneeling in worship can be – and must be – so much more than simply an historical gesture of submission, and certainly cannot be done for the outward statement only. Psalm 95:6 invites us to “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker” (NIV). The book of 1 Kings describes Solomon kneeling in prayer at the altar of the Lord, his hands spread out toward heaven. Again, kneeling is used in these cases as an expression of humility and acknowledgment of One greater than ourselves. But consider this: to the Hebrews, the knee is a symbol of strength, and therefore to kneel means to “bend our strength” before the Living God, acknowledging Him as the Source of all human existence and power. In worship, when we kneel, we outwardly express what our hearts inwardly acknowledge: “You are God; I am not. You are the Master; I am Your servant. You are strong; I am weak. You are worthy of all honor, glory and praise; I am worthless – of meaningless existence – without Your Spirit inside of me.” To further make the case, the classical word for kneeling, specifically in adoration, is proskynein , which in many uses is actually synonymous with our English word “worship.” In other words, in many instances in New Testament Scripture (in John’s gospel, in particular), “to kneel” and “to worship” are linguistically identical; to kneel is to worship. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, writes the following in The Spirit of the Liturgy : “I have lingered over these texts, because they bring to light [that] the spiritual and bodily meanings of proskynein are really inseparable. The bodily gesture itself is the bearer of the spiritual meaning, which is precisely that of worship. Without the worship, the bodily gesture would be meaningless.” It would seem, then, that the worship expressed through kneeling is far more than just an easily-shed ritual of days gone by. Kneeling isn’t just a by-product of worship, or an act intended to conjure up a “feeling” of worship. Kneeling is worship, if done in the right heart. But as I said at the start of this series, “unless our passion for Christ grows in tandem with our understanding of how He is to be praised, we will be unable to grow in our expression of praise beyond emotionalism and/or empty physical motion. I am convinced…that the differing forms of expression described in the Bible not only bring joy and honor to God, but through our participation in them, they lead us to a greater understanding and experience of His love in our lives.” Once again we are challenged, then, with a new truth: God desires our worship…and that worship is sometimes best expressed on our knees! .

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