Yes, it’s okay to sit when you need to. But the tradition is to stand.
That’s the short answer. The longer answer requires understanding what we’re doing when we worship and why our bodies matter in prayer.
Standing as the Christian Norm
For about sixteen centuries, Christians stood during worship. Walk into an Orthodox church in Greece or Russia or Romania and you won’t find rows of pews. Maybe some chairs along the walls for the elderly. That’s it. Standing was simply what Christians did when they prayed, and it wasn’t considered unusual or difficult. It was normal.
Most Antiochian parishes in North America have pews because that’s what American church buildings look like. We’ve adapted to the culture we’re in. But the pews don’t change the underlying principle. We still stand for the important parts of the service because standing means something.
When you stand before someone, you’re alert. You’re engaged. You’re showing respect. Sitting is what you do when you’re watching something happen to someone else. Standing is what you do when you’re participating. And the Liturgy isn’t a performance we observe. It’s something we do together, offered to God.
There’s also the simple fact that Christ is present. We believe that. Not symbolically present or spiritually present in some vague sense, but actually present. The Gospel reading is Christ speaking. The Eucharist is Christ’s Body and Blood. When the priest blesses you, Christ blesses you. Standing before that presence isn’t legalism. It’s just appropriate.
When to Stand, When You Can Sit
You should definitely stand for the Gospel reading. Stand for the Little Entrance and the Great Entrance, when the Gospel book and then the Holy Gifts are carried in procession. Stand during the Anaphora, the consecration prayer when the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. Stand when the priest or bishop is blessing you. Stand for Holy Communion, whether you’re receiving or not. Stand for the dismissal at the end.
Between those moments, you can sit if you need to. After the epistle reading, before the Gospel. During the homily, though some priests will tell you to sit for that. During parts of Orthros or Vespers that are less central. Most service books will have little notes suggesting when to sit, and you can always follow what the people around you are doing.
But here’s the thing. If you can stand, stand. Not because God’s keeping score. Not because sitting is sinful. But because standing helps you pay attention, and paying attention is half the battle in learning to pray.
The Pastoral Reality
Nobody expects a woman eight months pregnant to stand for two hours. Nobody expects someone recovering from back surgery to stand through Orthros and Liturgy. Nobody expects an eighty-year-old with bad knees to tough it out. If you need to sit, sit. Do it quietly, without making a production of it, and don’t worry about it.
I’ve known people who started attending services and could barely stand for twenty minutes. Six months later they were standing for an hour without thinking about it. Your body adjusts. But that adjustment happens gradually, and there’s no virtue in pushing yourself to the point of distraction or injury. If standing means you spend the whole service thinking about your aching feet instead of the prayers, then sit down.
The chairs along the side walls in traditional Orthodox churches aren’t there for decoration. They’re there for people who need them. In our parishes with pews, the pews serve the same function. Use them when you need to.
What This Looks Like in Southeast Texas
At St. Michael, we have pews. We’re not unusual in that. Most Antiochian parishes in America do. Wear comfortable shoes, that helps more than you’d think. If you’re visiting for the first time and you need to sit frequently, that’s fine. People understand. We’ve all been there.
What you’ll notice is that the core of the congregation stands for the major parts of the service. You’ll see some people sitting during the psalms or the Old Testament readings. You’ll see elderly parishioners seated for much of the service. You’ll see parents step out with fussy toddlers. Church is full of real people with real bodies and real limitations.
The goal isn’t perfect posture for two hours. The goal is to offer yourself to God as fully as you’re able on that particular Sunday. Some Sundays that means standing the whole time. Some Sundays it means sitting more than you’d like because you pulled a double shift at the plant and you’re exhausted. God knows the difference between laziness and limitation.
Stand when you can. Sit when you need to. Pay attention either way. That’s the rule.
