There is something special about sharing the peace at church. And every church I supply at does it differently. Some take a while because people go all around the room. Immanual does it this way. At other churches, people greet only the people around them. Still others only say the words. All are okay. (Though at large churches greeting everyone can take some time.) At Atonement, my last church, we held a Saturday Night Worship, and I could greet everyone but, on Sunday mornings it could be difficult.

Not being able to share the peace during COVID was particularly hard on me. It is one of my favorite parts of the worship service. Particularly if it is done right. If it is done honestly. We need to put personal conflict away and be willing to share the peace with everyone. I have seen people not willing to shake someone’s hand because: “I don’t like them”. This makes me sad. Where in this is Jesus?

Jesus wants us to share the peace of Christ with the world. We start with sharing it with each other.

May the Peace of the Lord be with you.

God loves you and so do I!