The passing of the peace is an often-misunderstood element of the service. Just before prayers are about to be made for Eucharist, when the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ is remembered and its benefits received, everything grinds to a halt. We stand up and start shaking hands. People hug. They get out of their pews and cut across the room to greet one another, forming a scrum in the middle of the sanctuary. It’s absolute chaos. Or at least it was, before the pandemic. But I’ll come back to that in a bit.
In
Matthew chapter 11, Jesus warned us: “whenever you stand praying, forgive, if
you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may
forgive you your trespasses”. Since the liturgy always attempts to express what
we believe, we must take a moment to acknowledge that reconciliation with God
and reconciliation with people go hand in hand. We cannot claim to have one
without the other. We cannot rightly receive God’s forgiveness if we are not
reconciled to our siblings in Christ. Passing the Peace is our enactment of the
reconciling love and forgiveness of God through Christ. We are literally
touching one another, holding and shaking hands, in humility and in
forgiveness, and in repentance. God’s peace is being shared freely among his
people.
Sharing
God’s peace is not simply offering a friendly hello to those sitting around
you. It’s not a time for catching up on news with your neighbor or for reminding
someone about an upcoming meeting. And goodness, sharing God’s peace does not
require each worshiper to offer a sign of God’s peace to every other worshiper
present.
Passing
the peace is a tradition rooted in Scripture that embodies our identity as
peacemakers and trains our hearts, hands, and tongues in the ways of peace. “Peace
be with you” is a greeting Jesus himself used with his disciples. Of all the ways
Jesus could have greeted the apostles on Easter Sunday, he chose four simple
words: “Peace be with you.” Yet for all its informality, this greeting captures
the heart of the Easter message.
The
apostles were not in the most peaceful state when Easter Sunday dawned. Not
only had they seen Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, but they also experienced
their own weakness and lack of faith. Rather than hold on to his promise that
he would rise again, they gave in to fear and doubt. Scattering at Jesus’
arrest, they hung back during his trial and crucifixion. Then they went into
hiding, worried that the authorities would come after them. By all accounts,
they had failed Jesus.
Then,
suddenly, Jesus appears and says simply, “Peace be with you”, likely recalling
the words of comfort that he had spoken at the last supper, “Peace I leave with
you, my peace I give to you.” Jesus’ “peace be with you” may be another way of
saying what the angel had said to Mary at the tomb, “do not be afraid.” When
Jesus appeared, he didn’t bring up the painful, embarrassing events of the past
few days. He didn’t even mention them! Instead, he just wished them peace. Jesus
does not want a relationship marked by vengeance, retribution, or anger. All he
wants is for his disciples, for us, to be at peace with him. When Jesus speaks
of peace, He speaks of eternal salvation, of God’s love, and assurance.
But
there’s more! When we hear the words “Peace be with you”, it also refers to peace
with ourselves and peace with each other. We are so much more than the sum of
our mistakes and failings. We are more than the sum of our successes and
breakthroughs. We are beloved of God, chosen and destined for heaven. Jesus
isn’t interested in reviewing all of our past sins. He isn’t interested in
questioning all of our current motivations. All he wants to do is point us to
the love that we already have for him, and we’ll find our way to peace in our
hearts. And the more peaceful we are, the easier it will be to follow Jesus and
fulfill his calling for us.
And
this gift of peace is meant to spill over onto others. Loving each other and
forgiving each other is perhaps the most challenging aspect of our life as
Christians. We know how difficult it is to love without conditions and
stipulations. We know how difficult it is to forgive someone who has hurt us.
Our natural response is to lash out in anger, sink into guilt, or shrink back
in resentment.
The
ritual of sharing the peace calls us to go deeper than simple handshakes with
everyone in the room. As stated in The Sunday Assembly:
“The exchange of
peace is a ministry, an announcement of grace we make to each other, a summary
of the gift given to us in the liturgy of the Word. This ministry we do to each
other is far greater than a sociable handshake or a ritual of friendship or a
moment of informality. Because of the presence of Jesus Christ, we give to each
other what we are saying: Christ’s own peace. Then, having been gathered by the
Spirit around the Risen One present in the word, we turn to celebrate his meal.”
Sharing
the peace is meant to be a point of transition between the sharing of the Word
and the sharing of the Meal. As we are called to prepare for the meal, we are
to reconcile with one another, to pray for those we have hurt and for those who
have hurt us, to confess our sins, and to receive God’s forgiveness. This is not
human peace alone, but the peace which is possible only through Christ. Then,
after the exchange of peace, we receive the gift of Christ’s peace in our
sharing Holy Communion with clean hands and a ready heart.
While
we may have lost our understanding of it, this deeply scriptural and spiritual
ritual was truly missed throughout the pandemic. As pastors, we still said the words,
“the Peace of Christ be with you always.” But there were no responses back, aside
from a small few who may have unmuted their microphones. There were no handshakes
or hugs. No chaotic preparation for the meal.
Even
now, we call it a “distanced sign of peace” and you can feel the awkwardness as
people look around, yelling “peace”, and giving the universal sign of peace.
While it is unlikely we will ever go back to the chaos it once was, perhaps the
significance of sharing the peace can be brought back our minds and our hearts.
This ancient ritual of peace-offering needs to be a reminder of our deepest
human connections, and our need for each other, our interconnectedness. Sharing
the peace needs to be a reminder that we do not walk through life alone. This brief
moment in time needs to be about opening yourself up to others and to God.
So,
what if could find a way to share the peace visibly as well as audibly? In a way
that we can share it with those who are online as well as in-person? In a way
that has more spiritual meaning behind it that simply flashing the peace sign
to each other?
I
started searching online what others have been doing throughout the pandemic
and I found a beautiful gesture on pluralguild.com that was created by a dancer
Jessica Young. You simply turn to the person next to you, put both hands
together on your heart than extend your open hands to them. And while you do
this, you look them in the eye. Eye contact matters. You may want to say words
like “Peace be with you” as you do it. Or you may just want to do it silently. As
the person echoes that gesture back to you, you then bring your hands back to
your heart again and sightly bow your head, essentially receiving the gift with
gratitude.
This
gesture says so much to me about what I believe is the intention behind passing
the peace. By placing my hands on my heart, and then removing them, I am
exposing my vulnerable heart to you. I am saying, “By the grace of God, I am
not going to hold myself back from you in fear.” When I extend my open hands to
you, I am saying, “Not only am I not trying to hide and defend myself, I only
have peace to give.” And the eye contact means it’s personal, it’s not
flippant, it’s significant, this matters to me, it’s a kind of promise.
The next time we share the peace with each other, really think about what Jesus might have meant when he said “peace be with you” to his disciples, and what you mean when you say it to the person in front of you. Jesus was sent not to condemn us for our past but to give us eternal salvation. Jesus says “peace be with you” to his disciples so that they knew all he wanted was for them to have peace with him, and with God, and to have God’s eternal assurance. Let this gift of the peace of Christ reign also in your hearts.
“Peace
be with you.”
The Sunday Assembly
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