Jesus is with us!

There is a great deal of concern this season with containing the spread of 'flu, so when the newspaper reported on suggestions for how churches might safely share Holy Communion and the Passing of the Peace, I decided we needed to address it at worship. Since we already use individual cups at communion, the concern was passing the peace.

During the announcements, I talked about the newspaper article and that some members had asked about what we should do to share a sign of Christ's peace. I said that we should respect other peoples' concerns and to simply say "Peace be with you" and not shake hands if the other person didn't offer their hand. I relayed some other suggestions such as bowing when saying the words, elbow bumping, and the "Obama knuckle bump". The other suggestion given was to wave a peace sign to one another. Later during worship, there were chuckles and giggles as people tried various ways of sharing the peace.

After worship, several people remarked that we had never had so much fun sharing the peace. A couple of guys suggested that waving one finger was all that was needed. It is the simplest sign and follows the rural tradition of waving a finger from the steering wheel when meeting someone on the road.

When Jesus appears to the disciples after the resurrection, his first words are "Peace be with you" (John 20:19 and others). The "you" in the original greek of the New Testament is clearly plural. It is not a greeting from one person to one person but is from Christ to the all disciples. The words are words of welcome and good news: Jesus is risen from the dead. The disciples can put away their fear and grief. They are not alone, Jesus is with them. Jesus has conquered death and the promise of forgiveness and salvation is real.

In the same way, when we share a sign of Christ's peace with everyone who is gathered we are participating in the reassurance and spreading of the good news. We are not left to struggle alone; the power of the Holy Spirit has been given to us. Nothing, not even pain, sin and death are enough to separate us from God's love. Whether we wave a finger, embrace, or simply speak the words, this is the Good News we share with each other when we share a sign of Christ's peace. Christ is among us with all the promise that entails!

Now knowing the deep spiritual meaning of this sign, was it wrong for us to enjoy and even giggle as we shared the peace during worship? Not at all. What could be a better sign of our joy gathered in Christ than to relax, let go of our fears, and enjoy the peace that only comes from God. Read Philippians 4:4-7