To be a peace priest

Pastor Phil Kniss continues the sermon series on the practices of Christian worship. This Sunday he focuses on "God's greeting and mutual greetings." Phil suggests that since it is God who calls us to worship, it's only appropriate that it's God who greets us when we come. Often, people are welcomed to worship in a warm and sometimes casual manner, as if we were being welcomed to some community entertainment event. These welcomes are almost always given on behalf of the church, who is issuing the welcome. But when do we allow God (who invited us to his party) to actually speak the welcome? Secondly, mutual greetings are an important part of the worship service, because at God's invitation we have come together with others, we have come as a community of people, and it's appropriate to acknowledge each other and greet one another with the peace of Christ.