“Every knee shall bow”

The Psalmist of long ago sang reverently, “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker;” while in Romans we read: “It is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” From the beginning of time this necessity of bowing to God has been recognized by all who have desired to know Him, and the Bible records many an instance of God’s obedient servants kneeling to Him. Peter and Paul both tell of their kneeling in prayer, and it is recounted of Jesus that he “kneeled down, and prayed.” Mrs. Eddy says, in referring to her first visit to The Mother Church after the original edifice was built (see The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, pp. 302, 303), that she “knelt in thanks upon the steps of its altar;” and she adds, “There the foresplendor of the beginnings of truth fell mysteriously upon my spirit.”

Now this bowing of the knee to God is something which has always deeply concerned His people. They have recognized that no approach to Deity could be truly effective and satisfactory were it not made in humility and in just acknowledgment of God’s complete preeminence and absolute supremacy. A very natural result has been that the desire to express a right reverence and at the same time a right sense of complete dependence on God has frequently carried with it the outward symbol of bowing the knee. This act has, however, so often degenerated into mere form that Christians have sometimes felt they must rigidly and entirely turn from it if they were to avoid the appearance of hypocrisy. Like all things else, when considered from a wholly material standpoint there has been the tendency in this to sweep away what might still be both wise and helpful if used properly and sincerely.

When Mrs. Eddy instituted the communion service in the Christian Science church her purpose must have included her perpetual desire to bless all mankind. This same desire must also have been in evidence when, on page 126 of the Church Manual in the order of these same services, she placed the following: “The First Reader briefly invites the congregation to kneel in silent Communion.” Here is, therefore, a definite place and time when Christian Scientists are still expected to kneel outwardly. The questions for us to consider must therefore be: How may we do this in such fashion that our Leader’s great desire to bless may be brought to fullest fruition? How are we so to kneel that “the foresplendor of the beginnings of truth” shall fall also upon our spirit?

There is no doubt but that no knee can be bowed to God properly except the heart be bowed simultaneously. One writer has well said: “Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees.” Christian Science teaches very clearly that it is the mental attitude which first and last is always of greatest importance. Human belief is, however, inherently proud, and as Christian Scientists we need always to be on guard that this false element be continually brought into subjection. We need to watch our thoughts very carefully that we may dwell constantly in the humility which consciously reflects the might of divine Mind. To do this the bending of the knee and the bowing of the head may therefore still frequently be outward symbols of inward grace.

Christian Science, when understood and demonstrated, brings the freedom which allows each individual to express his progressive thinking in such outward manner as may seem to him natural and right. As its adherents we need not, however, imagine that if the heart is not humbly bowing to God either the upward or the downward look, the straight or the bended knee, will be accepted of Him. For instance, at our services for one arrogantly to consider himself more spiritually-minded than his brother, either because he lifts his head or bows it to receive a closing benediction, is to fall far short of that mental attitude which is ready to receive God’s blessing. On the contrary, each should be so concerned with having his own heart—his own inmost thoughts—at-one with God, good, that even while feeling perfect freedom to express such thinking in the way which seems most appropriate and beautiful to him, his brother’s outward attitude will willingly and lovingly be left to that brother and to God.

As, therefore, through deepest sincerity and truth, through ever greater consecration and devoted love, we learn continually to bow mentally to God, when the opportunity occurs either to bow the head or to bend the knee outwardly it will be done in such holy manner that we shall find ourselves clothed in the marvelous power of both receiving and reflecting blessedness. We shall each time realize anew the truth of what our precious Leader wrote in her Message to The Mother Church for 1900 (p. 15): “To-day you have come to Love’s feast, and you kneel at its altar. May you have on a wedding garment new and old, and the touch of the hem of this garment heal the sick and the sinner!”