My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Let me begin by saying "thank you" once again for your kindness and joyful celebration of the anniversary of my first year here at Santa Fe and the fifteen year of my ordination to the ministry of Word and Sacrament.  It was truly over-whelming and I can not adequately express how I appreciate the way you have welcomed me and my family this past year.  This past year has been a very busy one; new members and programs, re-energized programs and people, and a growing excitement of what the Holy Spirit is doing in us and what God has in store for us, and Christ proclaimed as Lord and Savior.  I truly see among us, an affirmation of our ministry together here in Edmond.  To that end, I want to thank, and encourage you all to thank, once again the members of the PNC who did so much to bring us together.

But there is no time to rest on our laurels; we still have room to grow.  I am not talking about membership, or giving, or even in ministry, these are important, but more importantly is how we grow in faith and Spiritual depth as individuals and as a congregation.

In a recent conversation, the subject of how we greet one another in the "Passing of the Peace" during worship came up.  I and others present agreed that we ought spend a little time explaining this tradition of the church and why it is important, and ought not to be taken lightly.

It has become common in worship to pass the peace with the words: "the Peace of Christ be with you," eliciting a response of "and also with you." This it turns out is one of our oldest traditions.  The passing of the Peace has its origins in the New Testament.  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), and repeated mention is made of the practice in early church texts.  So a shaking of hands, a hug, or a kiss has existed in the liturgy of the Church since the first century, but we should not let this time be simply a time to say "hello".

Its function in the early Church was to visibly demonstrate that all were one in the faith and that no sin should stand in the way of their unity.  This visible of the one body of Christ, is important because since we have been reconciled to God through the death of Jesus, we therefore are to be reconciled with one another as well.

As the Gospel spread in the early days it brought with it a new world view considered by many to be subversive.  All men and women, slaves and free, rich and poor, barbarians and citizens, are all heirs in Christ and share food at the same Lord's Table.  In the forgiveness of Christ we stand as equals in the shadow of the Cross, and therefore are called to greet one another as brothers and sisters.  When we gather, we need to celebrate this truth by presenting an image of God's kingdom to members and visitors alike, demonstrating the true hospitality of the Gospel.

This is truly a "Ritual of Christian Friendship," but our understanding and its challenge must go deeper than this.  In passing the peace we should earnestly desire God's peace upon those we greet. The passing of the peace is also a sign of obedience to Jesus' words that we make peace with one another before offering our gifts at the altar (Matt. 5:23-24).   For instance: what if you don't want to share the peace with someone because you are upset with that person for something done to you or said about you?  The fact that you don't even want to shake hands shows there is a need for reconciliation. I contend that passing the peace is an opportunity to seek reconciliation between ourselves and others.

Just as our reconciliation with God frees us to worship, reconciling with others frees our hearts to worship God more completely.

So let the passing of the peace be important to you, because it is important to the community.  Let it be a demonstration of hospitality to others, let it be a prayer for peace and wholeness for others, and let it be the beginning of reconciliation between yourself and others.  Let it be the proof of our commitment to love one another as Christ loved us.

May the peace of Christ be with you all.

Mitch