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June 5, 2005; Proper 5, Year A
    The Rev. Harold "Skip" Comer, Rector

Today/this morning I am going to speak about the Episcopal “seventh-inning stretch” that I wrote about in my June letter in The Apostle.  The “seventh-inning stretch” occurs at the mid point in our worship service and is composed of the Peace and announcements.

For those who have been Episcopalians for some time, you will remember a time thirty or more years ago when there was no Peace, or should I say the passing of the peace during the worship service.  And you probably remember how strange and awkward it was when the peace was introduced.  Many people just stood in their pews, and maybe exchanged the peace with their family.  At the time this act seemed foreign and out of place in the service.

I remember when I came here seven years ago; people passed the peace with those around them.  Perhaps the present dilemma is my fault – people leaving their pews to exchange the peace with friends and strangers on the other side of the church.   It is wonderful to be a part of such a friendly and welcoming church, but the peace has gotten a little out of hand – that is it is taking too long.

A bit of history about the exchanging of the peace during Christian worship services.  Paul mentions the greeting of other Christians with a holy kiss in five of his New Testament Letters. [i] This practice of greeting other Christians, literally with a kiss was a living out of the message of love, reconciliation, and peace that was at the center of Christ’s ministry and life.  It appears as though the kiss of peace was incorporated into the worship services of the New Testament Church as a way of greeting fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

Justin Martyr, a church apologist – or defender of the church – describes the passing of the peace during Eucharistic liturgy of the second century this way, “On finishing the prayers we greet each other with a kiss.  Then bread and a cup of water and mixed with wine are brought to the president of the brethren and he, taking them, sends up praise and glory to the Father…” 

From this account, we see the exchange of peace occurring just before the offertory.  It is likely that these early Christians had in mind the admonition of 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 your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.” [ii] 

The exchange of the peace remained a part of Christian worship services until the reformation.  The first Church of England Book of Common Prayer in 1549 included the peace, but three years later under pressure from the Protestants the peace was removed from the service.

When the American Book of Common Prayer was revised in the 1970’s, the peace was reinserted into the worship services of the Episcopal Church just before the offertory.  Its placement is significant.  We have prayed the Prayers of the People and said the General Confession, with its invitation, “Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.”  Now in a state of grace with God, we pass his peace to our neighbors.  It is God’s peace that we are exchanging, the reconciling love God expressed in Jesus Christ.  This is not an appropriate time to say “Hello” or ask how people are doing.  It is a part of our worship service, and as such should be done reverently.  The notation for The Peace  helps us to understand what we are suppose to be doing, “Then the Ministers and People may greet one another in the name of the Lord.”  We exchange God’s peace with those around us.

The time for conversation properly belongs outside of our worship service.  It is one of the primary reasons that we have a coffee hour after the service.   While I do not want to stifle our friendliness, I ask for your cooperation in the exchange of the peace in the spirit for which it is intended.  It is appropriate to exchange the peace with those around you, but I ask you to restrain yourself from wandering to far from your pew during this time.

The second part of the “seventh inning stretch” is the announcements.  Parishes have experimented with placing the announcements at the beginning of the service and at the end.  Sometimes this works, but most often, announcements are made between The Peace and The Offertory.   Concerns have been expressed about the length of some announcements, the fact that some people cannot hear what is being said, and the number of announcements that have been made.  It only seems appropriate that announcements of a religious matter or activities of the parish should be announced during the worship service.  Any lengthy explanation should be printed in the bulletin or as an insert, or “see so and so after the service for more details.”   We will be purchasing a bell for use during coffee hour, so that other types of announcements can be made at that time.

Finally I would like to comment about our healing ministry.  I believe that it is a vital part of Jesus’ ministry to us – a ministry that has been given to the church – to lay hands on and anoint the sick for healing.  The participation on the Sunday that we have had for healing is a witness to the importance that we feel this ministry has.  This is the only parish that I have been in or attended where a large number of people from the congregation come forward to lay hands on people.  I want to say that this is wonderful!  Wonderful because of the love and compassion we have for those who are sick or going through times of distress.  But once again this takes a substantial amount of time.

What we have settled on is offering the laying on of hands and anointing with oil at the altar rail on the first Sunday of the month.  What we are adding to this is a healing station on the third Sunday of the month in the alcove.  On the third Sunday, after receiving communion, you can go to the healing station and receive the laying on of hands and anoint with oil for healing.   If you would like to participate in the laying on of hands on this Sunday, please set toward the front of the church so that you can receive communion early and then go to the healing station.  While a member of the Order of St. Luke the Physician will be with me, you are also encouraged to join us in the laying on of hands for healing.  On first and third Saturday evenings of each month during the summer there will be a healing station in the alcove.

In a way it is nice to have these problems – a very friendly parish, an abundance of announcements, and a healing service in the midst of The Holy Eucharist in which large numbers of people come forward for healing and to lay hands on them.  It is a sign that we are a healthy parish that cares about one another and want to share important events.  But we must remember that this is a service in which we have gathered to worship God.

I praise God for our witness to his love and peace in our midst, and pray that it will flow out from these walls into the larger community in which we live.

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