![]() When Israel gathered in the temple they prayed to God with their arms raised in the air. Within the vocabulary for worship and prayer in the Old Testament is the נשא ידים ( nasa yadim lift up hands) phrase, as in the line “I will lift up my hands” to the Lord (Ps. Much work has been done on the Jewish background of the prayers in the church. Therefore, the question arises: is the use of the sursum corda in worship according to Scripture, particularly in its historic location as the preface to the prayer of thanksgiving in the communion service.Įarly Christian prayer grew out of the soil of Jewish prayer. ![]() The Reformed tradition has insisted that there must be a biblical warrant for what we do in worship. Perhaps the renewed interest in the sursum corda is because it is one of those elements of Christian worship that has an ancient and clear spiritual ring to it-“Lift up your hearts we lift them to the Lord.” However, to use something simply because it sounds more spiritual is not a satisfactory reason to include it in the worship of the church. The service ended without the Lord’s Supper to which, in the past, the sursum corda was attached as the preface to the Eucharistic prayer. One church I attended a couple of years ago included the sursum corda as a song set off by itself in the liturgy. Its location in today’s liturgy, however, is not always the same as it was in the historic liturgies. After a long period of being overlooked, or being intentionally ignored, the sursum corda is being rediscovered and included in worship where it once had been absent. One example of this is the sursum corda (lift up your hearts) which is showing up, more and more, in the worship of various Protestant churches. It expands and connects an engaged community of change agents, and is committed to inclusion, equitable opportunities/representation, individual and collective agency, and a shared dedication to social change through partnerships with community organizations and community members.Interest in historic Christian liturgies is increasing among some Christians and in certain churches. Lift as You Climb personalizes leadership development through practical application and relationship-building. Invest in the needs, values and priorities of underrepr esented communities Through leadership development seminars, discussions of the implications of identity in leadership, and support in developing and executing a culminating project, Lift connects participants through shared interests and an investment in creating more equitable and sustainable educational institutions and spaces. Prepare future leaders for a changing educational landscape The Lift model–the development of collectives, small groups of committed participants–is designed to engage alumni, university students and community members, and organizations in various areas of interest toward a culminating community-based initiative. Lift is a leadership development program based on enriching and promoting the strengths and values of all participants. It connects them with each other and the larger community to work toward change. Lift as You Climb provides a sense of community and a sense of purpose for College of Education students. In this spirit, we aspire to generate the kind of community and compassion that engenders change in the lives of all involved. Lift seeks to build on legacies of struggle and determination, community, and hope like those of Terrell and countless educators who have led efforts to promote educational opportunity and human rights. “Lifting as we climb” was the motto of the NACW. ![]() Mary Church Terrell (1865-1954) was a lifelong educator, leader in movements for women’s suffrage and educational and civil rights, founder of the National Association of Colored Women (NACW), and a founding member the NAACP. "And so, lifting as we climb, onward and upward we go, struggling and striving, and hoping that the buds and blossoms of our desires will burst into glorious fruition 'ere long." - Mary Church Terrell ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |