PASSING THE PEACE By Eleanor Kell
At Edwards Church worship is begun with the Passing of the Peace. Now, I have a confession to make. Many years ago when it was decided to begin worship with the Passing of the Peace, I was very much against it. I’m not sure why but I think it had to do with greeting people I might not know or might not know well. But the Diaconate put it into the worship service and although the first Sunday it was happening, I thought about not coming to church a still small voice spoke inside me and I remember it saying “Try it, Eleanor, you just might like it.” Fat chance, I thought.
But I was there that Sunday and reluctantly left my pew to greet people – some I knew and some I didn’t know at all. I do remember greeting one man calling him Walter when his name was John. But it didn’t seem to phase him. Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all. Then suddenly I felt little arms go around me and I looked down to see a little girl I had known from the toddler class I volunteered in sometimes. She looked up at me with her beautiful shining brown eyes and said “Mrs. Kell, I love you.”
I know that tears came into my eyes and I looked down and said, “You know what, Hannah, I love you too.”
After that the Passing of the Peace became an important part of my Sunday worship experience. Nowadays it is even more special – not because I get to greet new people or get wonderful hugs from lots of people – young and old. It is because on those Sundays when my 7-year old friend, Dylan is in church, I hear him running towards me and he lunges at me giving me the most wonderful hug in the world. That hug takes me through the week ahead no matter how hectic things might get.
I am so glad that we have Passing of the Peace to begin worship each Sunday. And, I thank God for the opportunity to be greeted and to greet others in God’s name. Thanks be to God. Amen.