Peace

These things never come out as well as they did when they were first articulated. During a session on worship we were discussing ritual action.

I remember once being confronted by the thought that if I could not face, let alone share the peace with one of the other congregants, then as the biblical passage goes I should leave my gift at the altar and make peace with the person first. This was a problem, especially in the Anglican Church as the peace happens before the Eucharist.

However in the Iona tradition and indeed in the wider tradition of the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) the peace is shared after the sacrament is received.

In that situation I would then have been able to face the other person, because of the gift of the grace of God given at the Eucharist. The simple moving of the position of the sharing of Peace changes the emphasis of both Peace and Eucharist.

If you make Peace with your sisters and brothers, then receive the sacrament, this is great, but what if you can’t?

The tradition from the Church of Scotland allows us to approach the altar table and receive gods grace in the sacrament of bread and wine. We then go from the table and share God’s grace with one another. In so doing we are enabled to be at peace with one another through the sacrament, God’s gift to us.