Taking A Knee

Who has not heard that phrase in the past few weeks?

"He took a knee ..."

"the entire team took a knee ..." 

"the team announced they will not be taking a knee ..."

It's become the latest statement - the latest apparel choice in the fashion of protest. But taking a knee hasn't always meant a protest. Taking a knee used to mean other things:

Sometimes it meant an attitude of submission:  "Yes, m'lord", said with humble grace and a bowed head.

Sometimes it meant an attitude of prayer re: King Solomon ... the Apostle Paul ... Tim Tebow ...

I've taken a knee in prayer before. I've taken a knee in servitude as I struggled to button coats and tie shoes of my darling grandchildren. Shoot, I've even taken a knee as I looked for my favorite shoes under the bed. 

I've even taken a knee in the choir, although that wasn't on purpose.

Twenty years ago I sang alto in the choir of a very large church. For the morning service, the choir would march into the choir loft from the side rooms off the platform during the prelude. But for the evening service we were a little more informal. About five minutes before the service began, members of the choir would begin meandering up to their seats in the choir loft. The idea was to be in place 2-3 minutes before the hour so that they could start the service with a rousing "opener" - a stirring chorus that started the service.

One Sunday night I was headed for my place in the choir when someone stopped me with a question about the blood drive I was organizing for a man in our church. I tried to answer the questions quickly, but suddenly I realized that the piano was doing the introduction to the opener and I wasn't in my place. I was already at the front of the auditorium, so I made a quick dash for the platform, trying to get to my seat in the choir before the beginning notes were sung. 

I made it up the two stairs to the platform and hurried across to the stairs up to the choir loft. I was breathless and sweating, but within reach of my goal with only 3-4 notes to go in the introduction when the unthinkable happened.

I tripped on the stairs.

I didn't just trip - I snagged the toe of my shoe and literally fell to my knees on the stairway. Everything slowed down to an agonizing crawl as my momentum carried me forward, and I threw out my hands to catch myself. As the choir drew in a collective breath to sing their first note, I wallowed on my hands and knees on the stairs with my rear end waving at the congregation. 

I bounced quickly back to my feet and scurried to the nearest chair, my face glowing red. Half the choir had seen my acrobatics, and so their first notes came out in choked laughs and giggles. The other half of the choir couldn't keep their notes or their tune as they wondered why the choir director was laughing so hard tears were streaming down his face. 

My "taking a knee" made quite a statement and definitely created a memorable start to the service.

So when's the last time you took a knee? Was it on purpose?