Thoughts on the Divine Service
33. Bowing
Dear friends,
Sometimes at the end of one of these missives, I include a nerdy note or two. This one might just be one long nerdy note, but let’s talk about bowing in church.
There are five different levels under the category of bowing. The smallest is the head bow, or the nod, which serves as a greeting or acknowledgment. Second is the body bow, where one bends at the waist, tipping head and shoulders: this is a sign of both acknowledgment and respect. Third is the genuflect, in which one bows while touching the ground with one knee, and fourth is kneeling: both of these “greater” bows are greater indications of respect. Finally, there is prostration, where one lies facedown on the ground, a position of abject submission.
Most commonly at Good Shepherd, we have nods and bows. For instance, it’s proper for the pastor to nod to the congregation when they respond, “And with thy Spirit” or “and also with you,” after he’s greeted them with, “The Lord be with you.” So he acknowledges their greeting.
Bowing in church is normally reserved for the Lord as an expression of both reverence and wonder; and since we cannot see the Lord, we bow to those things which signify His presence and glory. For instance, the pastor bows towards the altar when entering the chancel to pray, and those at the communion rail bow before kneeling and after standing before they return to their seats. It is also appropriate to bow to the processional cross as it passes by during a processional or recessional hymn.
These gestures make some uncomfortable, and I’ve heard it said before that such bowing constitutes worship of things. But bowing is not synonymous with worship: rather, it is a natural gesture of humility and wonder. The processional crucifix reminds us that the Son of God was crucified for our sins, and the altar reminds us that He is the sacrificial Lamb who now gives us His body and blood for our salvation. These reminders ought make us hang our heads in humble wonder at how the Lord gives us such undeserved gifts.
(I’ll also observe that those who say one shouldn’t bow to a cross or an altar because it’s merely a symbol, will still get upset of someone desecrates a cross or an altar. But why be upset if it’s only a symbol? And if a symbol ought not be desecrated, why can it not be respected?)
It’s likewise traditional to bow at certain words. When the Gloria Patri appears in the introit or the liturgy, it’s appropriate (but not required) to bow for the length of, “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,” an acknowledgment of wonder that the glorious triune God cares for us. One might also bow during the Nicene Creed when we arrive at, “and was made man” until “the third day He rose again:” this portion of the Creed covers Jesus’ humiliation, the time period in which the Son of God humbled Himself and concealed His glory in order to be our Savior. Martin Luther once illustrated this bow with a little story, in which one man doesn’t bow during the Creed. At that moment, the devil appears, whacks him upside the head and essentially says, “What’s wrong with you?! If Jesus had become an angel to redeem us fallen angels, I would certainly bow in reverence!” Indeed, Jesus’ incarnation and sacrifice deserve our wonder and reverence.
Is it proper to bow to the pastor? The books say yes, as long as you know why you’re doing it. Insofar as the pastor, like an altar or crucifix, is a symbol of God’s gracious presence because he’s called to speak God’s Word, it’s not wrong to acknowledge the Word of God he proclaims. Thus the books say that it’s appropriate to bow when the pastor says, “The Lord be with you” because the words deliver the astonishing, humbling truth that the Lord favors you so much as to visit you in His means of grace. It would, however, be wrong to bow to the pastor with the thought that he has some sort of divine power or superior relationship with God, for he does not. So, for instance, during a processional hymn, one bows to the cross and not to the pastor. He’s as much under the cross and in need of Christ’s grace as everybody else.
There are other traditions that come and go: for some times in history, it was the practice for people to bow their heads each time they heard the name “Jesus,” in honor of Philippians 2:10, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.” This has faded, perhaps because of impracticality: imagine watching a congregation sing, “Jesus, Jesus, only Jesus” (TLH 348), and you can see how distracting the bowing would become.
As with standing and sitting last week, bowing is meant to teach and to help us remember Christ and His grace. None of this is commanded for worship in Scripture. You are free to bow or not, but now you know why we do. All such gestures should indicate to us the wonder that the Lord died for us, lives to care for us, and visits us in His means of grace so that we might dwell with Him forever. What joy!