Standing at Easter

On Trinity Sunday, May 19th, I will resume inviting people to stand or kneel for the part of the Great Thanksgiving (which follows the singing of "Holy, holy, holy Lord"). For the rest of Easter, I continue to repeat the Ecumenical Council's call for standing during the Easter Season.
Below are some links to historical Christian writings to reinforce this call. There are also links to "Instructed Eucharists" for various Episcopal Churches which address the issue and theological understanding for both standing and kneeling.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf214/Page_42.html
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf214.vii.vi.xxx.html
The First Ecumenical Council: The First Council of Nice A.D. 325.
Forasmuch as there are certain persons who kneel on the Lord’s Day and in the days of Pentecost, therefore, to the intent that all things may be uniformly observed everywhere (in every parish), it seems good to the holy Synod that prayer be made to God standing.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf03.iv.vi.iii.html
The Chaplet, or De Corona by Tertullian
We count fasting or kneeling in worship on the Lord's day to be unlawful. We rejoice in the same privilege also from Easter to Whitsunday.
(Liturgy for Living, p. 19)…one of the Greek words for worship, proskynçô, is used to designate the custom of prostrating oneself before another and kissing the other’s foot. Persians did this in the presence of their kings, Greeks in the presence of their gods. It is obvious that prostration is not a characteristic Anglican response to the holy God. Nevertheless, these words serve to remind us that worship has physical components. When we stand in the presence of God, we not only engage in the moral and intellectual activity of assigning values. More immediately and dramatically, we do something with our bodies. Ritual action, as well as decision making, is an inalienable part of worship. Worship is an activity of human beings in their complete selfhood, flesh in inextricable unity with spirit. The Holy God demands of us a total response.
Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, Evanston, IL 60201
http://www.seabury.edu/pdf/customary.pdf
Easter
The paschal candle stands on the north side of the chancel and is lit at all services. A white frontal remains on the altar throughout the season. The altar rails and cushions remain out of the chapel throughout the season, encouraging worshipers to stand when receiving communion as a sign of their participation in the resurrection life of Christ.
St. James Episcopal Church 155 North Sixth Street Zanesville, Ohio 43701
[Zanesville is the town where Fr. David's great-great grandfather James Sterret owned an inn. It’s also 95 miles from Steubenville, Kay Rhodes’ home town]
http://stjameszanesville.org/instruct.pdf
It is typical in Episcopal worship to kneel to pray and make confession, sit to listen, and stand to proclaim something in word or song. In recent times, it has become more acceptable to stand for prayer, including the Eucharistic prayer, as it was done in the synagogues and the early church. But kneeling is still the custom in many churches and either is acceptable.
http://www.metanoia.org/martha/writing/instructed.htm#body
Here at St. John’s, our general custom is to sit to listen, to stand for prayer and praise, and to kneel for confession. Kneeling is generally considered a posture of penitence, and in recent centuries when more of a spirit of penitence began to permeate the liturgy, some Christians took to kneeling for prayer; however, standing is the more ancient posture for prayer, and indicative that, as a result of God’s forgiveness, we can stand before him without shame or fear.
ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 4745 Wheeler Avenue, La Verne, CA 91750
http://www.stjohnslaverne.org/EaglePDFArchive/InstructionalEucharist2007%20l.pdf
After the Sanctus, or “Holy, Holy, Holy”, we either stand or kneel for the Prayer of Consecration. It was the ancient custom of the church to stand for corporate prayer. This emphasizes our being “raised with Christ.” In the late middle ages, the posture of prayer was changed to kneeling as a posture of penitence and adoration. Here at St. John’s, both standing and kneeling are acceptable during the prayer of consecration.
St. Augustine's Episcopal Church 6 Old Post Rd North. Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520
http://users.bestweb.net/~august/InstructedEucharist.pdf
At this point, some in our church remain standing, and some kneel – either is appropriate. The earliest Christians would have stood, but because the prayer is long, some of you may be more comfortable sitting, and that’s fine, too. I invite you to remain standing, or to kneel, or to sit.
Church of the Resurrection 2280 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-2299
http://www.welcometoresurrection.org/about/litcomm.htm
and St. Paul's Episcopal Church . Pine & Academy Streets, P.O. Box 602 Georgetown, DE 19947
http://www.stpaulsgeorgetown.org/Instructional%20Eucharist.pdf
It was the custom in the early Church and remains so in the Eastern Church to stand during the Eucharistic Prayer. In fact, in 325 the Council of Nicea decided to forbid kneeling on Sundays. In the Middle Ages, only the priests partook of the Eucharistic meal and the people began the practice of kneeling during the Eucharistic prayer in adoration of Christ’s presence in the sacrament. Prayer Books until 1979 assumed the people would stand, although they often did not. The 1979 Prayer Book gives the option of standing or kneeling. Standing symbolizes standing with the risen Lord and kneeling symbolizes reverence to the present Lord.
Christ Church 62 Main Street, Newton NJ 07860
http://christchurchnewton.org/instliturgy4.htm
If you read your Prayer Book you'll find that after the Sanctus the option is given for the congregation to either stand or kneel for the rest of the Great Thanksgiving. There is nothing wrong with people doing whichever feels more comfortable to them even though it might mean having some people kneeling and some people standing. (Generally, those persons who are vested for the service are asked to be uniform in their posture) The general custom at Christ Church is to stand at this point. However, during the seasons of Lent and Advent, many choose to kneel. During the season of Easter we will stand to mark the message of redemption and resurrection; that we are raised UP with Christ.