“Kneeling Before the King"
Text: Philippians 2:1-11 & Luke 2:1-20
12/25/2023
In the name of our heavenly King who was born in Bethlehem, dear friends in Christ. As many of you know, I've had both my knees replaced in recent years. And that was after about 7 surgeries to repair them. I used to tease my doctor that he must still have some kids or grandkids who needed to go through college. Anyway, even though my knees are pain free now, there's still one activity that's not comfortable to do anymore and I really miss it. Do you know what it is? Kneeling. It doesn't hurt but it's uncomfortable all the same. Even just kneeling here at the Communion rail feels... different. Some of you are in the same boat and I sympathize with those of you who can no longer kneel for the Lord's Supper due to health issues even though you wish you could. That's okay. But all this knee talks brings up some really good questions. Why do we kneel for Communion? What's the big deal? And what has all this got to do with our celebration on Christmas Day?
Well, kneeling at various times is an ancient custom that goes all the way back to Old Testament times. When a person found themselves in the presence of someone superior to them, they would kneel to show honor and respect. Sometimes that consisted of bending on your knees and bowing your head. At other times, if you wanted to express an even deeper reverence, the upper body would be bent all the way forward so that the face touched the ground. In the case of a king or one of his high-ranking officials, you knelt whether you like it or not. Failure to do so ususally wa met with the death penalty. A slave would also kneel before his or her master to show their subservience. And there are also several examples from the life of Jesus where people would kneel before Him as a way of acknowledging their unworthiness to be in His presence.
Eve though most nativity sets show the shepherds kneeling at the manger, Scripture doesn't say they did. But when you think about it, why wouldn't they? If they believed the words of the angel about who this little baby was, then they surely would have knelt down to show honor and respect to Him. So, it's safe to assume that they did. When the Wise Men arrived, we have the clear word from St Matthew that they bowed down, most likely with their faces to the ground. They had come seeking the newborn King of the Jews and this was how they reverenced Him.
So of all those reasons I listed, which is the one that explains why we kneel in Church? Actually, it's all of the above. The posture of our body reflects the attitude of our heart. When we come before the Lord, we want to show Him honor and respect. We acknowledge that He is far superior to us. He's our Almighty Creator. He's our benevolent King to whom we show gratitude for His many blessings. He's also our loving Master and we are His servants. When we kneel, we recognize that we're not worthy to be in His presence. And so, with all that in mind, we humble ourselves before God by lowering our bodies to our bended knees.
I will never forget the memory of my parents kneeling in Church when I was a child. They had been taught that not only do you kneel at the altar rail but also in the pew before and after partaking of Holy Communion. Their bodily posture helped prepare their hearts and minds to receive the body and blood of Jesus. Unfortunately, our Lutheran Church was like many others which didn't have built-in kneelers to make this a bit more practical to do. And that's probably because they didn't want to appear to be "Catholic." Eventually, over time, my folks discontinued kneeling like that, most likely because they physically couldn't do it anymore.
But you know, it's one thing to not be able to kneel before our heavenly King and it's another to refuse to. Oh, I'm not talking about the physical act of kneeling now. I'm referring to what goes on within us. You can bend your bodily knees before God while at the same time standing up and turning your back on Him in your heart. We do it when we disregard God's Commandments. When we do that, in essence we're saying, "I will not bend my will to you, God. I will not humble myself before you as my King. And I certainly am not going to be subservient to you as my Master." That kind of rebellious attitude can kill a person's faith. Not only does it disrespect the Lord, but it also cuts you off from His grace and forgiveness.
That's why St Paul in our Epistle lesson urges us to have the same humble attitude as Christ Jesus. He was God in the flesh. He should have bene the one who people bent their knees for. But out of love fore us, He bent down and took on the form of a servant when He becamse a human and was born in Bethlehem. Even though shepherds, wise men, and others may have occasionally knelt in His presence, Jesus was the one who bowed down in humiliation as He suffered, bled, and died on the cross for us. But God has honored His Son's sacrifice by raising Him from the dead. Now He has returned to His exalted position in heaven as the King of Kings. Paul makes it clear that ALL people will eventually kneel before Christ recognizing Him as their King whether they like it or not. For those who refused to humble themselves in their hearts and recognize Him as their Savior and Lord, it will be a forced action. One way or another they'll have to acknowledge their subservience to Him. And unfortunately, because of their lack of faith they will be forever removed form His gracious presence. But for those of us who by faith have willingly bent the knees of our hearts before Him, it will be natural to kneel out of love, honor, and respect for our Lord.
As we celebrate the birth of our Lord and King on this Christmas Day, may we gladly bend our knees and bow before His manger in worship. For lying there in those swaddling clothes is the Savior - YOUR Savior - Christ the Lord. Bow down and worship Him as you acknowledge His presence in the manger of this altar and bow down your hearts as you receive the real presence of His body and blood in the Lord's Supper. Bend your knees in humble adoration of your benevolent King who comes to you in the lowly form of bread and wine for you to eat and drink. And kneel before Him daily as you worship Him with your holy living, knowing that the Christ Child has been born within you by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria