Greetings! Hi there! Rejoice!

Why do we worship in the way that we worship? Why do we always have three sections in our bulletin: Assemble in God’s Name, Proclaim God’s Word, Respond to God? What is the history, the theological significance, the Scriptural basis for the way we worship? Over the next several weeks, we are going to study our liturgy. Liturgy is a Greek word that means “the work of the people.” We are going to study how we do our work in worship.

Rev. Gary Ball is an Anglican priest, he writes that “Our culture driven way of life leaves us longing for rest, and our worship should challenge this…..through liturgy and the sacraments, our disordered lives are reordered by God….We set ourselves, our time and our space, apart from the world we depart at the front doors of the church.”

Worship begins with gathering. Mike read from Deuteronomy the instruction to gather the people, and teach them God’s law. Paul wrote to the church in Rome to welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

So, how do we greet one another? We follow the pattern of the pilgrims going to Jerusalem to the Temple, they gathered along the roadways and made music. Psalms 120- 134 are Psalms of Ascent, Psalms that the people sang as they gathered and made their way up the Temple Mount. Our Prelude is a song, for us, of ascent, it brings us into the space of worship, we are united as a worshiping people. As the pastor, I welcome all who are gathered, and we lay aside our worldly concerns both through a time of announcements and a time of standing and greeting one another.

In the early church, the instruction was to “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” I Peter calls it a “kiss of love.” A pastor I know used to exhort people to stand and “do something contagious.” It can be an uncomfortable time in the service, especially for a visitor, or an introvert. So why do we do it?
Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that “if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave you gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” Worship at the Temple was offering your gift at the altar of God. Before you come to the altar of God, before you come to worship, you first must be reconciled with your brothers and sisters.

Over the centuries, this time of reconciling has been done at various points in the worship service. In the early church, when they came together, they always shared the Lord’s Supper. When the church became more formalized and wasn’t eating together in homes, the time of reconciliation remained just before Communion. It came to be known as the Passing of the Peace. Now, it is traditionally at one of two points in the service: either just after the Prayer of Confession and Assurance of Pardon as a time to express pardon to one another, or at the Gathering time.
It is a time to welcome and reconcile, a time to greet and to connect.

Just as important as why we greet one another is how we greet one another. On the morning of the resurrection, as Jesus met Mary Magdalene and the other Mary on the road to Galilee, he greeted them with “Chairete!” (Cairete). A Roman greeting, commonly used to say “Hi there.” It seems strange that Jesus would appear to them on the road and say “Hi there!” It also seems strange that Jesus would use a Roman greeting. We would expect Jesus to greet the women with Shalom, the traditional Jewish greeting, meaning peace and wholeness. Perhaps there is a deeper reason for the way that Jesus greeted the women. Chairete, even though it had come to be used to say “Hey,” means “Rejoice!” Perhaps rather than saying Chairete (casually), Jesus said Chairete (with excitement).

The Presbyterian Handbook, a unique and handy resource on life in the Presbyterian Church, claims that “Some Presbyterians worry about this part of the service due to its free-for-all nature. Some also feel uncomfortable because of their fear of being hugged.” They recommend adopting a peaceful frame of mind. “Clear your mind of distracting and disrupting thoughts so that you can participate joyfully and reverently,” the handbook advises. Next, determine the appropriate form of safe touch – a hand shake, a hug, a side hug, or pat can all be acceptable, as is eye contact and a head nod for distances greater than two pews…speaking of eye contact, it is critical. Look the person in the eye, but don’t stare. Smile and say something like “Hi.” If you don’t recognize the person with whom you are holding eye contact, it is ok to say “Hi, I don’t believe we’ve met; I’m [and insert your name].” If they just stare blankly back at you, simply say, “We are glad you are here today” and step slowly back.

The Handbook also offers three phrases that are not helpful when greeting a visitor, “Sorry about…” fill in with anything you don’t like about the service today; “Finally, someone new!”; and an all-time favorite, “You’re in my pew.” This is not the time to find your connection, or to make lengthy introductions, or to talk about the weather, last night’s overtime or the refs, all of those conversations are best saved for Fellowship Coffee. The Greeting is the time to gather, to welcome, and to come reconciled with one another into worship with praises in word and song.

The prophet Isaiah describes entering the presence of God this way, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.” The presence of God is beyond what we can imagine, beyond our comprehension. Yet when we gather in the Sanctuary, we come into the presence of God. God is present, here.

Isaiah continues: And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

When we come into God’s presence, when we even get a glimpse that allows us to fathom the awesomeness of God, we are called to worship and sing praises. Xairete! Rejoice! Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Amen.