I made a mistake a few Sundays ago. Walter Brueggemann once advised pastors to never use the phrase “good morning” when greeting parishioners. For some it might not be a good morning, but it might be a bad morning. Worship is a place where we go to meet God even if we are having a bad morning. It is a space for joy and a space for lament—though we often do not do a very good job in creating a space for lament.
I knew this. Yet, I was standing in the narthex greeting my parishioners and a “good morning” slipped out of my mouth. A parishioner replied, “bad morning” and hurried to their car before I could apologize for speaking carelessly. Epic. Fail.
Of course this is one of the reasons why we greet each other by saying, “peace” or “peace of Christ.” The impact of the passing of the peace is that we have been reconciled to God and we are also reconciled to one another. Also, the peace can also function like a blessing—may the peace of Christ be with you, whether it is a good morning or a bad morning. “Peace” is one of the most meaningful phrases we can say to one another, especially when we are at a loss of words.
Careless speaking is endemic in our society and Churches. But, our words matter. Saint Basil says, “those who are idle in the pursuit of righteousness count theological terminology as secondary.” Consider how important words are to Christianity. Our faith is grounded in a written book. Our faith is also handed down through written and oral words. We believe that Jesus speaks each week in the words spoken in the sermon. Our words matter and they can’t be thrown around carelessly.
Stanley Hauerwas notes that Christians must learn to speak a new language. The sad part is that most Christians will never realize this. We have a language that is deeply formed by Scripture and tradition and we have to start using it.
“Peace” may mean nothing to a non-believer, but there may be nothing more powerful to a Christian immersed in Scripture and tradition.
What other words do we need to reclaim?
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