C036 The Peace of the Lord Be With You
Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring,
That the 81st General Convention direct the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to include additional guidance in The Principles to Guide the Development of Liturgical Texts, to list as an option in paragraph 2a (Gathering and Preparation) the sharing of The Peace, defined in paragraph 2c as “a ritual expression of the unity of the Body of Christ as they come together to offer the Holy Eucharist” at the beginning of worship, offering a pastoral and realistic sense of unity as the community, coming together from different places and with different concerns, begins their liturgical journey together to the focal point of our shared worship experience, where unity, both in community, and in Christ, is realized.
Explanation
The service of Holy Eucharist consists of two parts, the Liturgy of the Word and The Holy Communion. Together they draw the community towards the central act of Eucharistic worship, the sharing of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Linking the two, the sharing of God’s peace affords all the opportunity to set aside our differences, and realize our unity, before approaching the table,
During this time, many enjoy the opportunity to exit the pew to meet and greet those who are present, often seeing for the first time those who are sitting behind them. This is a time of real blessing, yet the Holy Chaos this creates, can distract from the centering actions the Liturgy of the Word affords. Often followed by announcements, the Peace has been described by some as an intermission between the two parts of Eucharist, instead of that which binds them together.
During a clergy sabbatical, focusing on welcoming practices across various Christian traditions, it was noted that communities taking time, as they gather for worship, to welcome one another, seem to gain a deeper sense of unity in their worship and offer a more meaningful experience as the uninterrupted hymns, readings, and prayers of the liturgy draw the community closer together and to their central act of worship. By shifting the sharing of the peace to the start of the service, while offering a prayer for peace following the confession, parishioners have described feeling a greater sense of community in the sharing of the Eucharist, not as a gathering of individuals, but as one body, sharing in the love shared with them.
Believing the liturgy is a means of bringing people together, from wherever they are in life, drawing them even closer together and to God, it is therefore recommended that the sharing of the peace no longer be limited by rubric, but allowed to be shared at the beginning of worship as well.
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