Worship Notes - Why We WorshipAmong the elements of the service of worship, perhaps the most misunderstood is the Passing of the Peace. From where is it derived? What does it mean? What is its purpose? In the ancient church, the kiss of peace was a customary greeting. For example, in the Book of Ruth, Boaz greeted his workers by saying “The Lord be with you,” to which they responded “The Lord bless you.” (Ruth 2:4) In the New Testament, at the end of his letter to the Romans, Paul admonishes them to greet one another with a holy kiss, an implied exhortation to put away their divisions. (Romans 16: 16) In his letter to the scattered Jewish Christians, Peter concludes, “Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.” (I Peter 5:14) Robert Webber argues in his 1985 book, Worship is a Verb, that “by connecting the kiss with the peace of God, Peter points to the meaning that the early Christians attached to this practice: Since Christ has reconciled us to God the Father, we are also reconciled to each other. Thus, in early Christian worship ‘the peace was passed to each other’.” (pg. 54) This concept of peace as reconciliation is further reinforced in Paul’s letter to the Philippians as he wrote, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) In essence, he is saying that because God is in control, we can experience real peace because our citizenship in Christ’s kingdom is sure. What, then, is the real significance of the passing of the peace? To paraphrase Barbara Wheeler’s children’s message on September 21, “When we are all cleaned up inside and outside, we want to let everyone know.” Finally, the Book of Common Worship tells us that “having been reconciled to God in Jesus Christ, we are invited to share signs of reconciliation and the peace of Christ. In sharing the peace, we open ourselves to the power of God’s love...and make ourselves agents of that love in the world.” Return to home page
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