- Sep 20, 2023
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I have a question about proper behavior during Divine Liturgy. I came from a Pentecostal background where worship was very animated. At home, I pray using a variety of postures. Usually I pray on my knees and I lift my hands towards heaven, either fully extended with the palms facing forward or at my sides with my palms facing up. It would seem weird to me to simply be on my knees and have my arms laying at my side, specifically because the book of Psalms commends the use of worship using the hands and doing other things that would be considered bizarre if done during Sunday liturgy.
Without going into details, there are seven Hebrew words used for praising God, and one is called "yadah" which comes from the word for hand, which is "yad" (even in modern Hebrew). It means to praise God with extended hands, either in praise or surrender. In fact all seven words for praising God involve pretty animated behavior, from banging cymbals, dancing, prostrating and more. The link below contains a very concise overview of the seven different words for praise.
Seven ways (in Hebrew) to praise God
Now, how this relates to Sunday liturgy is something that I find particularly fascinating. The DL is a fascinating, otherworldly, and highly enriching worship service, and one I want to follow. However, it's not the sort of worship service that you would see the psalmist participating in.
As someone who was raised to praise God in church with extended hands, I often wonder what I should be doing with my hands during DL. Obviously, to lift my hands in an extended way would be rather odd, though I suspect it would not get me escorted out of the church. If I started verbally praising God while doing it, I probably would be asked to leave.
Sometimes, during the reading of the psalms, even during Orthros, I just feel like lifting my hands while I am standing, at my sides so as not to be disturbing, with palms raised upwards. It seems weird to me to listen to prayers as powerful as the ones in the Psalms and in the Liturgy and to not do anything with my hands. I kind of rock back and forth because I feel compelled to worship God in this way. There's no way I could just stand still. I also have ADHD so that's another reason why I find acting "normal" to be weird because I am happy to be at DL and I feel I would like to express that somehow without being a disturbance, because I know that God is the focus of the Liturgy and I would never want to rob him of glory.
So, even though I am very reserved during liturgy and stand basically "at attention" with my arms hanging down, I do have to say that it feels very odd. I think a natural expression of our humanity is to do something with our bodies when we are moved by something.
So, what is the proper behavior during DL as regards the use of the body to demonstrate praise? After feeling awkward inside for my predicament, I decided to just look around in order to see what the other men at liturgy do, and mostly they seemed to be cupping their hands in front of themselves. It seems like a gesture of reverence and respect. Of course, I saw younger guys putting their hands in their front or back pockets. I read before going to liturgy that your body language should communicate attentiveness ("let us be attentive") and expectancy.
I would like some guidance on this issue, especially from a priest if possible!
Without going into details, there are seven Hebrew words used for praising God, and one is called "yadah" which comes from the word for hand, which is "yad" (even in modern Hebrew). It means to praise God with extended hands, either in praise or surrender. In fact all seven words for praising God involve pretty animated behavior, from banging cymbals, dancing, prostrating and more. The link below contains a very concise overview of the seven different words for praise.
Seven ways (in Hebrew) to praise God
Now, how this relates to Sunday liturgy is something that I find particularly fascinating. The DL is a fascinating, otherworldly, and highly enriching worship service, and one I want to follow. However, it's not the sort of worship service that you would see the psalmist participating in.
As someone who was raised to praise God in church with extended hands, I often wonder what I should be doing with my hands during DL. Obviously, to lift my hands in an extended way would be rather odd, though I suspect it would not get me escorted out of the church. If I started verbally praising God while doing it, I probably would be asked to leave.
Sometimes, during the reading of the psalms, even during Orthros, I just feel like lifting my hands while I am standing, at my sides so as not to be disturbing, with palms raised upwards. It seems weird to me to listen to prayers as powerful as the ones in the Psalms and in the Liturgy and to not do anything with my hands. I kind of rock back and forth because I feel compelled to worship God in this way. There's no way I could just stand still. I also have ADHD so that's another reason why I find acting "normal" to be weird because I am happy to be at DL and I feel I would like to express that somehow without being a disturbance, because I know that God is the focus of the Liturgy and I would never want to rob him of glory.
So, even though I am very reserved during liturgy and stand basically "at attention" with my arms hanging down, I do have to say that it feels very odd. I think a natural expression of our humanity is to do something with our bodies when we are moved by something.
So, what is the proper behavior during DL as regards the use of the body to demonstrate praise? After feeling awkward inside for my predicament, I decided to just look around in order to see what the other men at liturgy do, and mostly they seemed to be cupping their hands in front of themselves. It seems like a gesture of reverence and respect. Of course, I saw younger guys putting their hands in their front or back pockets. I read before going to liturgy that your body language should communicate attentiveness ("let us be attentive") and expectancy.
I would like some guidance on this issue, especially from a priest if possible!