This is the act of entrance by representatives of the people of God; ministers, choir and others. It is a colorful time with people carrying festive banners, swinging incense,  carrying the cross, candles and Bible. The purpose is to dramatize the fact that we as Christians follow Christ.

     Processions can also involve the whole congregation. In a congregational procession, everyone marches around the worship center or even outside the church singing a hymn or chorus. It is a way to use our entire body in worshipping our Lord. (Rom. 12:1)

     Procession were used in ancient Jewish worship associated with the Temple and seasonal feasts. Processions in the Christian church date back to the fifth century (White 1971) The uses of procession in worship died out due primarily to the change in sacred space. With the institution of fixed pews, congregational processions became more difficult. It wasn't until the Reformation that congregational processions were eliminates as excessive and too ceremonial.

     Processions are used today, to a limited extent, in many conservative Protestant worship services, they have just been renamed. People will come forward to receive communion. This is a congregational procession. People will come forward in response to an invitation given by the Pastor for salvation or recommitment to the Lord.

Question: Should we have procession in worship?

  Comes from the combination of two Latin terms flecto 'to bend' and genu 'the knee'. It represents a gesture showing honor by briefly kneeling on the right  side with the body erect. (Erickson 1989)

    Erickson states in his book 'Participating In Worship':
     'It has the same meaning as kneeling but has an historical distinction. Genuflection was a pagan act of
    homage made in front of a temple or statue of a god or before deified rulers and their images.' 1 (Gen. 41:43)

     It shouldn't be a surprise that the early Christians, up to the time of Constantine, refused to perform this gesture because of it's pagan association. It became part of the churches worship during the Middle Ages as showing respect and honor to religious icons located throughout the church building.

Question: Should we genuflect in worship?

     Is the movement of the hand from the forehead to the heart and from one shoulder to the other. The basic meaning of this symbolic action is that the individual wants the truth of God's Word to transform their minds, their speech and their hearts...everything they think, say and do in life. It describes by it's outward physical act, our inward spiritual commitment. The Sign of the Cross is an ancient custom and may be apostolic in origin and first associated with baptism. (Erickson 1989)

     However, for many, especially in the Catholic church, this gesture has the added meaning of divine protection against satanic powers.  The Reformers saw this gesture as magic and denounced it as an appropriate act in corporate worship

Question: Should we make the sign of the cross in worship?

      I have placed dance last on this list as it is perhaps the most hotly debated topic in corporate worship today. Tempers flare and churches divide over this issue.

     In most  conservative Protestant churches, dance is a sign of immaturity and too overtly emotional. It is considered sensual and therefore inappropriate in the corporate worship of God. But does the conservative Protestant church really understand what biblical dance is and how it is done? Do they understand it's biblical precedence?

    John Frame in his book 'Worship in Spirit and truth' says:
     'Dance in worship is first of all the simple, natural, physical dimension of the reverent joy   we share in Christ.
    Most of us, even those who are not very demonstrative in our worship,   find it natural to sway, however so
    slightly, to the rhythm of the songs we sing. That   movement itself is a simple form of dance. If that is justifiable,
    who is to draw the line to   show precisely how much movement is permitted? And if such simple movements
    are justifiable, why not greater movements, especially in view of the biblical references to  dance?'2

     Hebrew words:  (karar : kaw-rar) meaning 'to whirl, dance'3                              (2 Sam. 6:14-15)
                               (mechowlah : mek-o-law) meaning  'dancing, dance'4               (Ex. 15:20)
                               (raqad : raw-kad) meaning 'to skip about, to dance, leap'5       (1 Chron. 15:29)

     Many have tried to remove dance from worship by using the Regulative Principal of Worship by stating that God never prescribes or commands the use of dance in corporate worship. While it is not prescribed or commanded, it is certainly described in Scripture associated with corporate worship and is never prohibited.

     Dance in the Old Testament was a response of a heart full of joy in the Lord. Hebrew worship was not cerebral and could not be limited to the mind...it needed expression with the heart and by the body.  Schroeder believes that the Hebrew worshipper danced to fulfill the command to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength. (Schroeder 1995)

Endnotes
1  John Frame. Worship in Spirit and Truth, (Phillipsburg: P&R Pub. 1996) 131
2 Enhanced Strong's Lexicon, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995.
3 i.b.i.d.
4 i.b.i.d.
5 i.b.i.d.