Sursum Corda

Every Sunday at the beginning of our worship service our minister greets us with, “May the Peace of God be with you” to which we respond, “And also with you.” It’s such contemporary liturgy. Except that it isn’t contemporary at all. It’s the opening of the Sursum Corda, an ancient worship refrain dating from at least the third century and is recorded in the earliest liturgies of the Church.


The Sursum Corda opens in Latin words meaning “The Lord be with you” and “And also with you.” As modern people of faith we have found a meaningful way to bring this liturgy with us into the 21st century by proclaiming “The peace of God be with you.” I like that for the most part we avoid using “Lord” in our worship. It seems so sexist and outdated—theologically and practically. “Peace of God” expresses our ancient faith in contemporary language.

I like being part of a faith tradition that dates back millennia. In each generation, people of faith find new ways to practice their faith. Sometimes the words don’t work. When our church building was built in 1957 during the civil rights era, the brotherhood of men was forward thinking. For decades words on our sanctuary wall read “For one is your Master, the Christ, and you are all brothers.

Then times changed. Three years ago our congregation voted to add “and sisters” to these sacred words. Each new generation finds new ways to practice their faith.

Words matter to me. Attending church in the past I groaned inside at some of the language. I wished there was a disclaimer at the beginning of worship like, “The words expressed in the hymns, the liturgy and the scriptures do not necessarily express the views of the staff or members of the congregation.”

Our proclamation of the Sursum Corda—and including sisters in our family of God—expresses my faith well. And it’s a fitting disclaimer.