When we pray the liturgy together, how closely do you pay attention to the flow of the service? Do you notice subtle nuances as we gather together for prayer? Do changes from week to week catch you off guard? Do we say the same words during the liturgy that you are familiar with from other Episcopal congregations? Do we do things differently? There are many options we can choose to utilize during the liturgy of the Eucharist. If you’ve followed our Christian study on the Book of Common Prayer, you are now quite familiar with the may rubrics and the must rubrics found in the Prayer Book. Some of the may rubrics are chosen because of familiarity or flow. Hopefully there is also a theological reason that contributes to the decision of following a may rubric. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but “we’ve always done it that way” is not a theological reason. What is a theological reason? It’s a reason to make a choice based on our understanding of God’s work in the world. When we pray together, we want our decisions to reflect our shared theology. Have you noticed, for instance, that I actually say different words during the Eucharistic Prayer than those that are printed in the Book? I say “for you and for all” instead of the “for you and for many”. Although this is technically a no-no (I’m not actually authorized to change the text of a prayer), our collective theology at St. John’s says that Jesus gave himself for everyone! The definition of the word all can include many, but the definition of many does not necessarily include all.
One rubric that cannot be changed is the timing of the passing of the peace. Have you ever noticed that the passing of the peace takes place right after the Confession of Sin and right before the Eucharistic prayer? This is very intentional! When it comes to the Confession of Sin, a rubric on page 359 tells us that “On occasion, the Confession may be omitted.” What might it mean to say, “on occasion”? To some people, that means that during Easter there is no Confession because it is a celebratory time of year. Others might say that during a liturgy with a lot of moving parts the Confession might be omitted for the sake of timeliness. As long as a decision is made with thought, then it is following the guidelines provided. The obvious intention of this rubric, however, is that a Confession is included during the vast majority of liturgies. Following the Confession and the Absolution, the peace is passed through the congregation. Why do you suppose the order of service flows this way?
The reason is so that we can be of clean conscience when we all approach the Table together! We confess our sins corporately and the priest (or bishop) then gives an absolution. This is the same absolution that would be given if you were to attend a private confession. Did you realize that when the priest grants the absolution you are receiving the sacrament of reconciliation? Following the absolution, the sharing of the peace is a visible effort to ensure there are no grudges to be held. While the passing of the peace can sometimes look like a coffee-hour style meet and greet, the intention is actually so that we can make peace with those with whom we disagree. If there has been some kind of unpleasantness or disagreement with a fellow parishioner, the passing of the peace is a time when we can go to that person, offer a handshake or other meaningful gesture, and acknowledge that person’s humanity. It’s as if we are saying, “I know we have disagreed in the past, and we may even continue to disagree in the future. However, I’m willing to put my disagreements aside for now because we’re about to go to the Communion Table. I want us both to receive communion knowing that we have made peace with one another.”
When you think of it like that, it’s really beautiful, isn’t it? There is actually nothing wrong with disagreeing and our liturgy makes allowances for it. When it becomes wrong is when two people are not able to approach the same Table together because their disagreement has gotten the best of them. Imagine how sad and boring the Church would be if everyone thought exactly the same things about every topic under the sun. We would be missing out on genuine, engaging dialogue. While it is true that certain behaviors are unwelcome on Church property, all of God’s people are, in fact, welcome. It is important to differentiate between a person’s behavior and a person’s identity. Disagreeing with one another, yes, even disagreeing with the priest, is not grounds for exclusion from the fellowship.
You might be asking, is this policy a bit too broad? The answer is no. In fact, if someone disagrees with me about something I’m very firmly certain of, then my desire for that person to come is even deeper! Maybe I have come to a conclusion through prayer, discernment, and theological study. Maybe the person who disagrees with me has not had that same luxury. Maybe through spending time with that person, engaging with them, and making peace with them, their heart will be changed. Maybe that person will bring me perspective that I didn’t have and maybe my own heart will be changed! And if our hearts are not changed, then we have the example of Jesus in the story of the Rich Young Man. In the tenth chapter of Mark’s gospel, Jesus tells the Rich Young Man what he must do to inherit eternal life. Even though the Rich Young Man refused to do as Jesus instructed, Jesus loved him anyway. If we follow Jesus’s example, we love each other anyway.
When we share the peace before going to the Communion Table, we are making an effort to love one another. When we confess our sins, we are making an effort to make good with God. The liturgists who designed our liturgy were pretty brilliant, weren’t they? We make good with God, we make good with one another. Then, despite our disagreements, we approach the Table in unity. We are one body and we all share one bread and one cup.