The Peace of Christ to You

My church began including “The Passing of the Peace” in our worship services either shortly before or shortly after I came here. Some people fear this kind of greeting for several reasons. I personally love what this worship practice means; but I also understand that what should be a holy time in worship can easily be reduced to mere social interaction. It can get that way when we forget, misunderstand, or miscommunicate what it is for. I found the following explanation on the web-site of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod and found it to be a wonderfully concise description of the origins and proper decorum of this act of Christian worship.

The passing of the Peace has its origins … in the New Testament. In the letters of St. Paul there are several references to greeting one another with “a holy kiss” (Rom 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; 2 Cor 13:12; 1 Thess 5:26; 1 Pet 5:14). In the worship of the early church this took on a specific function in the liturgy. Usually it occurred after the sermon or just before the distribution of communion. Its function was to visibly demonstrate that all who were present were one in the faith and that no sin stood in the way of their unity.

Of course, over time the actual kiss of peace has given way to either a handshake or an embrace. The purpose, however, is the same: a visible demonstration that we are members of the one body of Christ. Because we have been reconciled to the Father through the death of His Son, we therefore are also reconciled with one another.

… What it is not is a time to say “howdy” to everyone, or to talk about what you’ll be doing after church. A congregation probably needs occasional reminders that the purpose of passing the peace is to demonstrate that we are members of Christ’s body. At first, it can be uncomfortable for some, and understandably so. But it can have some tremendous benefits. Consider this: what if you don't want to share the peace with the person sitting in front of you because you are mad at that person for something he did to you or said about you? The fact that you don't even want to shake hands with that person would suggest that indeed there is a need for reconciliation to take place –a gift that God freely offers through His Son.

The passing of the peace has some obvious benefits, but a congregation must be taught what these are and then encouraged to live in that peace of God as they share it with each other.

By touching people, looking them in the eye, and blessing them with the peace of Christ, I remember that worship does not belong to me or to my personal agenda, but rather is about participating with others in an encounter with the living Christ. Each person gathered for worship helps others to worship … or that’s the way it’s supposed to work.

The peace of Christ to you ...

That’s enough to think about for now.

Will You Come and Follow Me

On Sunday afternoon April 6th, the lovely wife, the toothpick and I embarked on an interesting adventure: The 5 colleges in 5 states in 4 days tour. On Monday we looked at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, KY and Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, TN. On Tuesday we took in Samford University (our alma mater) in Birmingham, AL. Wednesday saw us in Macon, GA for a look at Mercer. Thursday (today as I'm writing this) will take us to Anderson University in Anderson, SC. We spent last night at home, thankful for our own beds.

On Tuesday we were able to visit briefly with a couple of our former professors. There were more that we wanted to see, but their schedules did not allow it. We actually wanted to visit longer with everyone we saw, but our schedule did not allow that either. We got to sit down with Paul Richardson (my seminary voice prof and main mentor in Louisville who moved to Samford a couple of years after I graduated SBTS) for about 10 minutes. During that brief visit, he gave me a worship resource book (a collection of hymns, prayers, litanies, and readings for worship) that he compiled and edited for the Samford community. Knowing that it would be rich in content, I began poring over it as we awaited our admissions interview. The first hymn in the collection grabbed me by the heart (as good writing should), and I wanted to share it with my small blog readership. I found the 4th stanza particularly moving because of some of my own personal struggles.

I have not published the text because I don't own copyright, but I found the text on someone else's blog (click on this link or on the title of this blog entry to get there). I pray that you find it as meaningful in your pilgrimage as I am finding it in mine.

The peace of Christ to you.