Pews or No Pews?
I've read two blog posts recently about the use of pews in worship. One of them was written by Dan Kimball, and was published on the Leadership Blog: Out of Ur. The other post was a response to that article, written by John and published on Locusts and Honey.
Do you think pew are "odd?" Or do you think, as John does, that pews are an aid to worship (my words) because by their arrangement, we focus on Christ. We are physically oriented toward the symbols of his presence -- the cross and the altar. (Go read the articles themselves to make sure I haven't misstated their positions. And if you are really interested, check out the comments on both blogs).
I walk into the sanctuary at our church, and I feel the presence of God. I think spaces develop that association for us, and it is based on experience. Find God in that place often enough, and you expect to find him there -- so you do. Especially when the space is quiet and dim, I can feel the heaviness of God in the room, and that awareness is centered near the altar. I can see John's point -- the arrangement of the room facilitates the focus on the altar area, and perhaps reduces the distractions caused by other elements -- or people -- in the room.
Worship can happen in that kind of place -- I know it can -- I've seen it and have been part of it.
But are pews necessary? No. Even in my limited experience, I've worshipped at round tables, in a circle of parlor furniture, in an unfinished chapel with folding chairs, at picnic tables, and in an amphitheater standing up. Was God's presence any less without the pews or their arrangement? No. Was the worship any "less" in the less structured atmosphere? No.
At the death of Christ, the curtain was torn in the temple -- that which divided us from God at the altar was removed. We are blessed -- amazingly -- that God can be found everywhere in the room -- even outside the room that we call a sanctuary. Maybe we like the pews because their arrangement makes it easier to focus on a God in one spot -- God near the cross, God at the altar -- and His symbols help us to do that. That's not bad, but it's also not the only way.
When I think about the Emmaus prayer gathering that we had during our Lenten prayer vigil, I know that we worshipped. We sat in a circle, in comfortable (OK, mainly comfortable) living room-type furniture, and worshipped. I believe that if we had been in pews, the worship would have been less, because we needed to see God on the faces of the people around us. I think we worry that an atmosphere such as that will increase fellowship at the cost of worship -- that our focus will be lost. I'm not going to argue that we weren't in fellowship that evening -- we were -- but the fellowship among the Body of Christ during that hour was a gift from God that magnified the worship. God was present with each of us -- not on an altar, but in each of us. Being able to see each other -- to see God in each other -- brought us to worship.
So what about pews? Use them as a tool, and focus on God. Sit in a circle and recognize that God is everywhere, especially when two or more are gathered in his name. Sit at picnic tables outside and see God in the very air around you. Listen to a concert and feel him floating on the music, like perfume. God doesn't care where we sit or stand. God just wants us to SEE him.
posted by Kim at 7:18 AM
2 Comments:
I am not a lover of pews. They are fixed and rigid. In a sanctuary such as ours, that is wide, the pews on the sides don't face the altar unless he parishioners sit sideways.
God is all over the sanctuary, even in the back of the balcony.
Pews will not be moved.
I agree with Jeff. While there's some sentimentality about worshipping in the same pew where previous generations have worshipped, there is also something too static about that for me.
I appreciate the sense of history that Sue Jarrett shared in describing her history with JM last week, but it's also a little sad that members like Jeff who have "only" been with the church for 15 - 20 years are seen as "new folks".
While the pews themselves aren't the problem, I think they often represent a rigid approach to worship. While they may be focused on the altar, they typically instill an approach where the congregation is separate from the Pastor and those "leading" the worship service.
It even reinforces the need to have someone "lead" the service. When a New Testament faith would argue more for the communion with and priesthood of all believers. That's a very rare experience in a sanctuary with pews.
Ultimately, pews remind me of old wineskins and I think most folks will have a more authentic worship experience in a more comfortable setting, perhaps in a backyard raking leaves. :)
The other thought that comes to mind is the fact that our fancy pews have sat for nearly 100 years in the middle of a neighborhood with families in pain with pervasive needs that Jesus would have us meet.
Yet for the most part, those people from the neighborhood have never been invited to sit in the pew, while those sitting in the pews (myself included) have been far too reluctant to leave our comfortable(?) pew and follow Jesus' example for Discipleship in communities and through the countryside and not sitting in a fancy building.
Thanks for sharing yet another thought provoking post.
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