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BODIES
We sometimes say it so quickly that there is hardly time to think: "I
believe in.. . the resurrection of the body." What a remarkable statement
that is! What a confession to make! Unlike some religions, even unlike
some Christian interpretations, we think that bodies are important enough
to be raised from the dead.
I think this is also seen in our worship. It is more than words. Our bodies
are involved. We stand, we sit, we bow, we kneel, we raise our hands,
we process, to receive a morsel of bread in our hand, we take hold of
a cup to drink. These postures are second nature to most of us; we're
hardly aware of how we are involved in our worship. But, the question
"Why?" is a good one.
We stand to begin; to welcome the Gospel and to listen to it carefully;
to make intercession before God; to pray the great prayer of thanksgiving,
the eucharistic prayer; in many places, to eat our Lord's body and drink
his blood; to take leave of the assembly. Why? If for no other reason
that standing shows respect for the assembly, for the Gospel, for God.
And what about sitting? We sit for the readings and the sermon; as the
gifts of bread and wine are prepared; when keeping silence is all we can
or should do. Why? We sit so we can be attentive, so we can ponder (not
so we can be entertained or relax; that's not the kind of sitting our
worship needs).
And why do we kneel? Sometimes to beg for mercy or to plead for the Holy
Spirit to come upon us or to show how truly sorry we are. Why? Because
kneeling is the posture of a servant, of someone in need - and we are
both before God.
And here's an idea, an Easter idea about posture. The Council of Nicaea
banned kneeling during the Easter Season. The reasoning was that, as Jesus
was raised from the dead, so also Christ's body now can be up-standing.
It's an interesting thought. Maybe during this joyful Eastertide we can
think more about our bodies and give thanks that Jesus has saved all of
us!
Bishop Robert A. Rimbo
This is the tenth in a series of articles on worship and the church's
mission. Please feel free to copy and share it!
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