What Will I Do?
“. . . At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11)
Because I move a lot with the military, my wife and I have attended many different Protestant churches in the past thirty years. Baptist. Pentecostal. Nazarene. Church of God. Presbyterian, to name a few. In all those years, I don’t remember seeing anyone stop at their pew and bow toward the altar before taking his or her seat. Typically, people stand in the aisles or sit in their seats, chatting with friends while they wait for the service to begin.
I never wondered why that is.
Until recently.
Christians call the large room in a church where the congregation worships God, a sanctuary. A sanctuary is universally defined as a sacred place, a place set apart to worship God.
So why have I, in thirty years, never walked into the sanctuary on Sunday morning, bowed toward the altar, taken my seat and then quieted myself before Christ in prayer?
As I write this, I can’t say I know why.
Well. Umm. Maybe I do. I really don’t want to admit it, but bowing toward the altar always reminded me of what Roman Catholics do.
Now there’s a good reason not to do something to honor God. As if there is anything inherently wrong with being a Catholic Christian.
We can learn a few things from them.
I wonder what would happen if I tried it next Sunday, if I walked into the sanctuary and did all that – bowed my knee, avoided the chit-chat, and spent time in prayer before the service.
I can pretty well guess. Some will feel awkward. A few might look at me with suspicion.
It’s an interesting question. Will I or won’t I?
If I gather up enough courage to bend my knee before God in the sanctuary, I hope some who see me will (likely not until after the service) reconsider why we gather in that place, who it is we meet in our worship, and how much He desires we not only bend our knee, but also our heart and talents and time and health and possessions.
I’ll let you know what happens.
Rich
rmaffeo@comcast.net
Because I move a lot with the military, my wife and I have attended many different Protestant churches in the past thirty years. Baptist. Pentecostal. Nazarene. Church of God. Presbyterian, to name a few. In all those years, I don’t remember seeing anyone stop at their pew and bow toward the altar before taking his or her seat. Typically, people stand in the aisles or sit in their seats, chatting with friends while they wait for the service to begin.
I never wondered why that is.
Until recently.
Christians call the large room in a church where the congregation worships God, a sanctuary. A sanctuary is universally defined as a sacred place, a place set apart to worship God.
So why have I, in thirty years, never walked into the sanctuary on Sunday morning, bowed toward the altar, taken my seat and then quieted myself before Christ in prayer?
As I write this, I can’t say I know why.
Well. Umm. Maybe I do. I really don’t want to admit it, but bowing toward the altar always reminded me of what Roman Catholics do.
Now there’s a good reason not to do something to honor God. As if there is anything inherently wrong with being a Catholic Christian.
We can learn a few things from them.
I wonder what would happen if I tried it next Sunday, if I walked into the sanctuary and did all that – bowed my knee, avoided the chit-chat, and spent time in prayer before the service.
I can pretty well guess. Some will feel awkward. A few might look at me with suspicion.
It’s an interesting question. Will I or won’t I?
If I gather up enough courage to bend my knee before God in the sanctuary, I hope some who see me will (likely not until after the service) reconsider why we gather in that place, who it is we meet in our worship, and how much He desires we not only bend our knee, but also our heart and talents and time and health and possessions.
I’ll let you know what happens.
Rich
rmaffeo@comcast.net
posted by rich at
6:54 PM
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