Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.

 

            On January 25, 1959 Pope John the XXIII, less than three months after being elected, announced his intention to call a new Council.  The second Vatican Council led to sweeping changes in the Roman Catholic Church.  The changes inspired by Vatican II also had profound affects on other Christian Bodies.  Vatican II gave great-added strength to the ecumenical movement. One of the most lasting influences of the ecumenical movement of the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s has been on worship.  The many years of interaction and dialogue between the various streams of the Christian tradition has led to a process of convergence.   The worship of the various Christian bodies has become more similar as the result of the cross-pollinations that have taken hold. 

             The historically more liturgically focused traditions have begun to put a lot more emphasis on communicating the Gospel through preaching while the more pulpit centered traditions have put more emphasis on the symbolic aspects of worship including the Sacraments.

             Presbyterians in the last forty years have recovered a focus on the Christian year, worship centered in the Lectionary and more frequent celebrations of Communion.   Whereas fifty years ago Presbyterians observed the Lord’s Supper three or four times a year, today almost every Presbyterian congregation comes to the Table at least once a month.  Indeed St. Gile’s Cathedral, the mother church of Presbyterians in Edinburgh, celebrates communion every Sunday and several times during the week.

             The changes in worship can best be demonstrated by the difference in our Book of Common Worship.  This is the 1946 version of the Book of Common Worship, this is the latest version published in 1993.  

             Of all the many changes that have been made in Presbyterian worship the one addition that may have caused the most consternation is the introduction of Passing of the Peace.   Others have been controversial, but the Passing of the Peace seems to inspire both positive and negative reactions in every congregation.   There are people who think it is just great and others who believe it is a terrible interruption to the service.

             When you lead worship in different churches it is amazing the variety of ways that the Passing of the Peace is observed.   In some Churches people run all over the Sanctuary.   The first Church that I served was in Attica.  In that small congregation it seemed the purpose of the peace was for everyone present to greet every other person in the Sanctuary.  People were running all over the place and speaking so loudly that I was tempted to buy a whistle that would bring people back to paying attention.

             On the other extreme are Churches that seem cold and distant.  I have been in Presbyterian Churches where the people never moved at all in their pews most did not shake hands.  It seemed the peace was passed with a gentle nodding of the head in people’s direction.

             So what is the Passing of the Peace all about and what is its purpose?  The genesis of this act of worship is found in the New Testament.   In the writings of Paul there are several instances where he tells people to greet one another with a holy kiss.   In I Corinthians 16:20 Paul writes: All the brothers and sisters send greetings.  Greet one another with a holy kiss.

             In the worship of the early church the kiss became a part of the worship service.  It had the specific function to visibly demonstrate to all who were present that they were one in the faith.  It reminded each person present that since they had been forgiven by God, that they must forgive one another.

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

             There are times this can seem like a very repetitive and meaningless act.  But if we take it seriously it can sometimes be very difficult.  I remember talking to a member of a Church in our Presbytery that was going through great conflict.  This conflict made the time of passing the Peace uncomfortable.  It forced people on different sides of the issues to come together and wish Christ’s peace on each other.  It took faith and courage to reach out one’s hand.

            The sharing of peace, when done correctly, can be very meaningful.  Listen to the experience of one Presbyterian minister:

 When I came to Irvine Presbyterian Church fourteen years ago, I inherited the tradition of “Passing the Peace of Christ.”  At some point in the service a leader would say to the congregation, “The peace of Christ be with you.”  They would respond  “And also with you.” Then everybody would be encouraged to share the same greeting with each other.  I quickly worked to expunge that “empty tradition” from our worship order, arguing that it made people uncomfortable and that it was especially grueling for visitors.  So, that was that, or so I thought. 

 

But during the next few weeks I started hearing from church members how much they missed passing the peace. People weren't mean or demanding, just sad that a beloved tradition had been banished from the kingdom. They shared stories of how much it had meant to them in the past when they were going through difficult times and, for a few moments in a worship service, people shared the peace of Christ with them. For them, this "empty tradition" wasn't empty at all. It was full of deep meaning. It was a channel through which they received and shared God's grace. This was all new to me. I had never heard of such a thing. Nor had I ever imagined that such a rudimentary and repetitious action could make such a difference in people's lives. Frankly, I was stunned by what I learned.

 

I must say I was astounded by what happened. It was as if the grace of God flooded that room. Even I, for the first time in my life, actually passed the peace of Christ to people. I did more than mouth the words. I sensed that I was a vehicle for the gift of God's peace. The whole experience was amazing and transformational. For the first time I tasted the richness of a longstanding Christian tradition that I had formerly written off as stale.

 I resolved from that time onward to make the passing of the peace a regular feature of our worship.

  I must admit, as if many you did not already know, I am not a touchy feely person.  I too had a difficult time understanding why the passing of the peace should be a part of our worship experience.  Yet I too have come to understand its value.

            It is a great symbolic re-enforcement of our claim of unity.  God has called us to be one in Christ.  Thus when we share the peace we are saying that we are one in Christ.

           The passing of the peace also reminds us that our faith is connected to our actions.  There are times we act as if the Christian faith only concerns our relationship with God.  The peace reminds us that God’s love for us drives us to love our neighbor.  Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.

             The peace leads us into mission in all its form as a response to the overwhelming love that God has shown us in Jesus.

          

The passing of the peace is also an acted prayer.  We are praying for God’s peace for the person we are addressing.  No matter what our station in life, no matter what we’re dealing with, we all need to know more of Christ’s peace.  That in part is why we come to worship to find God’s peace.

       

If the passing of the peace is to be more Meaningful we must approach it in a positive way.

 The passing of the peace is not just some churchy way of saying hello.

It is not a time to decide where to go to lunch with your friends.

It is not an opportunity to ask someone to volunteer for some                task you are responsible for in the Church.           

             The proper approach is one of prayer.  When we participate in this part of the service, we should slowly take the person’s hand and slowly say,”The peace of Christ be with you.”

             As we share the peace we remember these words from our Book of Common worship:

 Having been reconciled to God in Jesus Christ, the people are invited to share signs of reconciliation and the peace of Christ.  In sharing the peace, we express the unity and love that come only from God, and we open ourselves to the power of God’s love to heal our brokenness and make us agents of that love in the world.