Our Scripture lessons every Sunday have many purposes and functions. Often, they offer moral and spiritual guidance, as, for example, Jesus’ teachings from the Sermon on the Mount, which have been the subject of our gospel readings these past few Sundays. Other times, our lessons teach us history that allow us to appreciate how God’s people in generations past have encountered many of the challenges that face us today, and how God stood faithfully by their sides just as He stands by us. And still other times, our Scripture readings teach us deep theological truths about the nature of God.
Sometimes, though, these lessons also help us to understand our liturgy and why we do what we do during worship on Sundays. This week’s gospel text is one such example. In yesterday’s Bible study, among other verses from Matthew, chapter 5, we considered this teaching by Jesus: “So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to you brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).
What do we make of this? On one level, this verse is just a part of Jesus’ teaching on anger and broken relationships, and his point is simply that all Christian must endeavor to work toward forgiveness and reconciliation, setting aside things like enmity, bitterness, jealousies and envy, and all negative feelings that create friction and division within Christian community.
And it is also more than that, making its way into our worshipping life each Sunday. Indeed, this teaching about reconciliation was viewed by the early Church as so foundational that it became the theoretical cornerstone of what we now call “the Exchange of the Peace,” which comes at the end of the Liturgy of the Word and before Holy Communion. You know, it is when the Pastor says: “May the peace of the Lord be always with you,” the congregation responds, “And also with you,” and then everyone greets one another with the sign of the peace.
This moment in the liturgy is much more than an opportunity for socializing or stretching your legs. Its original purpose was a much more solemn one: to invite everyone in the community to be reconciled to one another—i.e., forgive each other for any past wrongs, hurts, or slights, and “make peace” with one another—just before receiving the sacred gift of the sacrament of bread and wine.
This is how one ELCA worship guide explains the “Exchange of the Peace”:
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.
If you want to learn more about this topic, and how it relates to our gospel lesson this Sunday, visit the following link. Paper copies will be available at the Entrance Table on Sunday morning.
I offer this not just as a bit of bible study or liturgical history, but also in the hope that it might re-frame how you experience this moment in our worship. Yes, “exchanging the peace” can still be a pleasant opportunity to warmly greet your neighbor, but it should also be an invitation to soften your heart and let go of that grudge or other negative feeling that is keeping you from loving everyone as Christ wants you to love.