I Greet Everyone with Peace

Continuing series Walking with God...

Let’s begin by saying the The Pilgrim’s Credo together.

I am not in control.

I am not in a hurry.

I walk in faith and hope.

I greet everyone with peace.

I bring back only what God gives me.

This morning I want to focus on the fourth line of the credo, “I greet everyone with peace.”

The pilgrim greeting - Buen/Bom Camino

Non-spiritual well-wishing

Not to be confused with Bom Dia/Buenas Dias

Older, original greeting - Ultreia

One of the few souvenirs I brought back from the Camino (image)

It means something like “Higher up and further in”

An encouragement to fellow pilgrims. It blessed people on their way

There is a traditional way of greeting in many liturgical churches called passing the peace. Our greeting time is based upon this. Churches that practice this turn to one another and say “The peace of the Lord be with you.” And response, “And also with you.” Like Buen Camino, it is based on a much older tradition. We find this in many of the NT letters, but this morning I will just focus on where it is found in Romans 16:16.

“Greet one another with a holy kiss.” (Romans 16:16, NRSV)

What’s important is not the kiss, but what the kiss conveys. It is a kiss of peace. Several Bible translations go ahead and translate as “greet one another with the kiss of peace.”

Several things are being communicated in this simple gesture that relate directly to what it means to be pilgrims who greet everyone with peace.

To be present to others

We notice others. We make eye contact. We let them know they are seen. In doing this we communicate value and dignity to them.

It was such a shock to my system to day we arrived in London - for various reasons. It was loud, busy, congested. But perhaps the most shocking thing was that people simple didn't look at you. You pass people on the street and there was no acknowledgement of your existence. Having spent days on the Camino where everyone greets everyone, this was a slap in the face. Julie, bless her, tried for the first day to engage with people, only to be met with cold stares and silence. These were people who desperately needed the kiss of peace, but who could neither give it nor receive it.

Here among God’s people it is to be different. No one should come through the door and remain unseen. Whether it’s a smile, a handshake, a hug, or a kiss, we make ourselves present to everyone. We greet everyone with peace.

Where is the Lord asking you to slow down and notice others? Where do you tend to look straight ahead and not notice those around you?

To see the divine image in others and bless it

When we greet others with peace, we don’t only see them but we see the Imago Dei in them. We recognize a fellow image bearer, someone made in the likeness of God.

This is easy when it’s someone you like, or someone who is like you. Finding God’s image in others is much harder when it’s someone you don’t prefer or who is radically different. All of us bear the divine image, and all of us have had that image marred both by the sin we’ve committed and the sin committed against us. But we are called to find that image in every human face.

That every human is an image bearer means that they are of unimaginable worth. They are worthy of honor and dignity, not because of anything they’ve done, but merely on the basis of whose image they bear. To recognize and bless the image of God in another is to recognize and bless God.

It means our attitude and treatment of others must be in alignment with their intrinsic worth. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was asked how she maintained her zeal for ministering among the most pitiful human situations imaginable, among drug addicts, prostitutes, lepers, and the poorest of the poor in India: “I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has leprosy or gangrene; I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus.”

The beautiful thing about seeing the face of Jesus in others is that we begin to see the face of Jesus looking back at us as we greet everyone with peace.

Who do you find it hard to see the divine image in? Take a moment to ask the Spirit to help you see in them what you haven’t been able to before.

To be reconciled to others

The kiss of peace communicates reconciliation. This was its truest meaning. Churches that practice this almost always do it right before taking Communion. Time is given, though rarely really used, to make peace with anyone who may hold something against you. It acknowledges that as I come to the Table, because I am reconciled to God, I will also be reconciled to my brothers and sisters.

The kiss of peace says that whatever differences I may have with others, they are insignificant to what we share in together as the family of God. Christians need to learn to practice the kiss of peace again. To show the world that it is possible to live in loving community, even with our differences.

The kiss of peace is a choice. It is an indication of mature discipleship, made by mature disciples, who will not let differences drive a wedge in the family of God. It’s done by people who will take the first step to patch up relationships - whether they think it was their fault or not. This is how we greet everyone with peace.

Is there someone that you’ve been holding at arms length, maybe avoiding, that the Lord is wanting you to take the first step of reconciliation toward?

“Greet one another with a holy kiss.” Friends, the world needs a holy kiss. We are sent to extend this kiss of peace. It needs us to be present to it, to have the image of God acknowledged and blessed, and to have reconciliation extended toward it. As people who are called to walk with God and toward God, this is what it means to greet everyone with peace.

I want to extend the kiss of peace to anyone who may not yet be in relationship with Jesus. He loves you and his desire is to be reconciled to you. He has made this possible by dying for your sins and putting away any debt you owe. He offers forgiveness, freedom, and new life. If you’d like to explore what that means, or if you are ready to follow Jesus in baptism, please reach out to me. (next steps slide)

In just a moment I will invite the worship team and Tim to come up and lead us in Communion, but in keeping with the message, I want us to exchange the peace with each other. This time, more than just a casual greeting, turn to a few people around you, look them in the eye, and offer them the blessing of peace. “The peace of the Lord be with you. And also with you.”