PEACE Series: Passing the Peace

A message about "passing the peace" by Rev. Cynthia O'Brien
September 19, 2004
Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church, Fairview, Oregon

Luke 10:1-12
Philippians 2:47
“Passing the Peace That Passes Understanding”

Luke 10:1-12
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. "When you enter a house, first say, `Peace to this house.' 6 If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. "When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, `The kingdom of God is near you.' 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 `Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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"When you enter a house, first say, `Peace to this house.'

At one church I served there was a sign on the door of the office: “Peace to all who enter here.” And on my door at home there is a tiny plaque with a blessing of peace.

On occasion, I’m asked to do a house blessing. You might not have experienced one, but it’s not unusual to mark the occasion of moving into a new house with some kind of ceremony. When I was up at the Grunewald Guild, they had just built a new studio and my class was the first to use it. Before we entered, we had a ceremonial blessing of the space.

A group of church leaders created a nice house blessing a few years ago that I have adapted, and it begins with this prayer:

When Christ took flesh through the Virgin Mary, he made his home with us. Let us now pray that he will enter this home and bless it with his presence. May he always be here among us; may he nurture our love for each other, share in our joys, comfort us in our sorrows. Inspired by his teachings and example, let us seek to make our home before all else a dwelling place of love, diffusing far and wide the goodness of Christ. (adapted from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers, Bishop’s Committee on the Liturgy, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, c. 1988)

Then you go to each room and say a brief prayer. For example, in the kitchen,
O God, you fill the hungry with good things. Send your blessing on us, as we work in this kitchen, and make us ever thankful for our daily bread.

This is a blessing that will stick with the family and mysteriously rests in the home. It has meaning, it has substance, and it is a way of inviting God into that place.

In a similar way, although not as involved, the first missionaries pronounced peace on each home. "When you enter a house, first say, `Peace to this house.'

This pronouncement of peace was a common greeting. Back in 1 Samuel 25:5
While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. 5 So he sent ten young men and said to them, "Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. 6 Say to him: `Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!

Later, in Acts 10, Peter would speak peace when he entered the house of Cornelius.

So the disciples are to say “Peace to this house.” Who can receive this peace?
6 If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.
If he is of like character and receives the guests, he will receive that peace.

Jesus also directs these missionaries to heal the sick and tell them “The kingdom of God is near.” They are not only speaking peace, they are passing the peace of Christ.

The Passing of the Peace

After the prayer of confession, a time when we have asked God to forgive our sins, and we have received the assurance of God’s forgiveness, the leader says something like, “Since God has forgiven us, let us forgive each other. The peace of Christ be with you.” The people respond, “And also with you.”

Here is the official description of what happens next, according to the 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.

Signs can include handshakes or hugs, and some of the teenagers began using this sign (peace sign) which is also OK with me. Now listen to what we are doing in sharing the peace.
In sharing the peace, we express the reconciliation, 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.

What God has given us, reconciliation, unity and love, we are expressing to and with others. Then we open ourselves to God’s power to heal us. Then we become agents of that love. Did you ever think that so much happened while we passed the peace?

Sometimes the peace is placed at a different point in the service, either before communion, so people can be reconciled before approaching the table. Remember the Bible says, if you are bringing your offering to God and then realize that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there, go make up with your brother, then present your offering. Likewise the Peace plays an important role before communion.

Here’s what one liturgical theologian said about it:

The peace which enables people to live in unity and in the spirit of mutual forgiveness comes only from Christ whose word has been proclaimed. Without the intention to live in such unity, participation in the sacramental celebration is a mockery and, as St. Paul warns, is dangerous [1Corinthians 11]. The peace is a sign that those who participate in it open themselves to the healing and reconciling power of God’s love and offer themselves to be agents of that love in the world. (Pfatteicher, Manual on the Liturgy, Lutheran Book of Worship, 1979, p. 227)

Martin Luther once wrote that the exchange is “the true voice of the gospel announcing remission of sins, and therefore the one and most worthy preparation for the Lord’s Table.” (Luther’s works 53:28)

Here is another way to introduce the peace, drawn from Col. 3:15 and John 20:19, 21, 26

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.
To this peace we were called
as members of a single body.”

Have you ever thought of peace ruling your heart?
Do you remember that we are members of a single body?

Back in the summer of 1986, I had to participate in a forced reconciliation every day. I was touring with the Continental Singers – 90 concerts in 90 cities in 90 days, more or less – with 40 people ages 16 to 26 on a bus, you can bet that there would be differences that required reconciliation.

Every evening, after setup, sound check, dinner and getting dressed, we sat in a circle and had a time of worship and reconciliation. It was at that time that, if you had something against someone or someone had something against you, that you walked across the circle and made up with that person. And in a group that tight, everyone knew who had to work out what. It was hard, sometimes very hard. But it was essential if we were to get up on stage and sing a Christian message with integrity.

In times of reconciliation, we are truly passing a blessing of peace.

Other times we pass a blessing

There are other times in our service that we pass a blessing.

In baptism, when I place my hand on the person’s head and pray for them.

In the benediction, when I raise my hands to invite God’s blessing of peace on us all. Some pastors raise their arms with their palms downward, conferring the blessing. Either way is appropriate.

Practice for Daily Life

The actions of blessing in our Sunday service are more than just an immediate blessing.
They are practice for daily life.

Sometimes I listen to Jack Hayford’s Sermons at Church on the Way, and oftentimes in the course of his message, he tells the congregation to say something to each other. For example, he’ll be preaching on how much God loves us and he’ll stop and tell everyone, “Turn to your neighbor and say, ‘God really loves you, I don’t know why, but he does.’ and the people all laugh and start saying it.

It’s not always just an icebreaker. It’s practice doing the things we’re learning.

That’s what much of our liturgy can do. Not only is it the worship of God, right here, right now, but it is also forming how we live in the world. When we sing God’s praises, those songs stick with us later – I hear my girls singing fragments of hymns and service music at home.

When we confess our sins in church and get used to the idea that the sins in the prayer might actually have some relevance to how we acted this week, that’s preparation for life. When we pass the peace to someone we don’t know or don’t like, or someone we know is in great need, we are not only blessing them in the moment but invoking God’s reconciling power in their life. And we are learning how to be reconcilers in other places outside of church. When we listen as a leader prays, we are not only praying but learning how to pray for others and bless them.

When elders pray for you after church, the person praying will often put his or her hand on your shoulder, conferring a blessing on you.

Some (New) Ways to Pass the Peace in Daily Life

On Laurel’s birthday, her teacher invited her up front and led everyone to sing Happy Birthday. The second verse was “God’s blessings on you…” and she placed her hand over Laurel’s head. She’s not only a preschool teacher but a Lutheran pastor’s wife and I know she is actually conferring a blessing on Laurel.

A family that has many pastors in it, the Nielsen family, has written a book, For Everything a Season: 75 Blessings for Daily Life. It has all kinds of blessings for certain occasions, such as a blessing for the night before the first day of school.

In this little ceremony, the family gathers around the backpack and school supplies, with a small Christian symbol of some kind, and prays for the student. They read a Scripture. They let the student talk about what he/she is worried about or excited about. Then one family member makes the sign of the cross on the child’s forehead and says, “(Name), Jesus is with you wherever you go.” They put the Christian symbol in the backpack as a reminder of God’s presence.

That wasn’t part of my experience growing up. But don’t you think that those kinds of blessings would be meaningful in a Christian home? It’s way of passing the peace.

Here’s another way.

There’s a new minister at Trinity Lutheran Church, John Rosenberg. That church is high on my prayer list so I sent him a note his first week and told him we were praying for him, and I offered to take him out for coffee. When we met, he said, “This is very nice,” and I told him that a local minister had called me when I first came to town. He said, “Oh, so you’re paying it forward.”

And after the coffee, when we were leaving, he said something like “Thanks, and I’ll do the same for someone else some time.” The blessing that I received from a Brethren pastor was now being passed on to other new ministers.

There’s another way that John Rosenberg is passing the peace, and that’s in not being anxious. Ministers who work with churches in transition get specialized training called interim pastor certification. Michael and I took that training about 10 years ago. And one of the principles is called “being a non-anxious presence.” Whether the minister is in the emergency room dealing with a tragedy or moderating a contentious board meeting, he or she is called to be a peaceful presence. This is a blessing that comes right from Philippians 4.

PHP 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We usually think of this passage in terms of our own peace, but see this line: Let your gentleness be evident to all. This is also about passing your peace to others by your example, by being a peaceful presence for all you come in contact with.
We can pass the peace of Christ to others. The Lord is near. Amen.

copyright 2004 Cynthia O'Brien