What is the "Exchange of Peace?"             

First be reconciled to your brother or sister. . .

For some people, the moments in the liturgy following the prayers of the church are awkward ones. The presiding minister offers these words: "The peace of Christ be with you always." The congregation responds "And also with you." The members of the congregation are then invited to "share the peace" with one another, but what does this really mean?

Sharing God’s peace is not simply offering a friendly hello to those sitting around you. Sharing God’s peace is not a time for catching up on news with your neighbour or for reminding someone about an upcoming meeting.  Sharing God’s peace does not require each worshipper to offer a sign of God’s peace to every other worshipper present, unless you have a small enough number to allow for that.

Sharing God’s peace with one another is an act of acknowledging reconciliation between the individuals of the congregation.  It is an opportunity for God’s people to symbolize their reconciliation with one another before they offer their gifts to God and, perhaps appropriately, before they attend to the Eucharist or Holy Communion.
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, lays a foundation for the practice of sharing God’s peace. "So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23-24).

Other sources from the early church confirm the practice of sharing the gift of peace. In the Didache, an early Christian writing nearly as old as many of the New Testament writings, the Christian community is encouraged to "come together on the Lord’s day, having first confessed your sins so that your sacrifice may be pure. Anyone who has a quarrel with his fellow should not gather with you until he has been reconciled, lest your sacrifice be profaned."  This passage from confirms that the pattern Jesus spoke about in the Sermon on the Mount became a regular weekly occurrence in the early Christians’ practice of worship.

Over the centuries, the exchange of peace sometimes came later in the service, after the Lord’s Prayer and before the distribution of Communion. Some congregations still exchange the peace at this point, though the preferred placement tends to be somewhere at the beginning of worship in order to acknowledge – at least symbolically – the unity of the church, which is most likely the more ancient approach.

That the sharing of the peace, for some, follows the prayers of the church is not accidental.  Having been forged into a common people in Holy Baptism, the congregation prays for peace in the Church, peace in the world, and peace for all those in need.  The congregation then follows through with the people offering peace and reconciliation to one another.  This is not human peace alone, but the peace which is possible only through Christ.  Following the exchange of peace, material gifts may then be offered to God, for the well-being and peace of the Church, the world, and its people.  Finally, having prayed for and enacted the peace, the congregation is ready to receive the Holy Communion.  Seen in context, this is why the exchange of Christ’s peace is not a time for saying "Good morning," or for commenting on a neighbor’s new outfit, or for reminding someone about an event next week.

Traditionally in European countries, a handshake between two parties was a symbol of trust, a confirmation that no weapon was being held, particularly in the setting of a sacred space.  Thus it became a symbolic breaking out of peace in the middle of life, a time to open hands to one another, and drop our guards as we approach a sacramental space together.  Whatever the form, the message is recognised as being one of reconciliation.  Sharing the peace is integral to the biblical and theological meaning of the service.  It teaches the importance of reconciliation in the church.  Even in times of conflict, we are able to greet one another in the hope of God's peace which passes all understanding.

The most common greeting in our culture is a handshake and a word of peace.  In the ancient churches of the Middle East where this custom has continued uninterrupted, the form depends on what is common in their culture.  For example, Eastern Syrians clasp one another's hand and kiss.  Armenians simply bow to one another.  Whatever the form of the greeting, its message is reconciliation between people gathered in God's service.

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  In Romans 16:16, members of the congregation are encouraged to greet one another "with a holy kiss." The first letter of Peter ends, "Greet one another with a kiss of love.  Peace to all of you who are in Christ" (1 Peter 5:14).

New Testament references like these point to the origins of the greeting of peace practiced in many congregations at worship.  A kiss is a common greeting among friends in the Mediterranean world where Christianity was born, which is why the kiss that betrayed Jesus into the hands of the authorities at Gethsemane was shocking.
Note 16 in Common Worship allows for the Peace to be used at various points of worship: It can be used as the opening greeting, or to prepare the congregation for the hearing of the Word, or as part of the lead into the Communion rite before the breaking of bread or the Dismissal. The Peace may be introduced with a suitable sentence; some are provided in the seasonal provisions. The pattern is easy to copy, for instance to provide words for special occasions or to echo some particular teaching in the sermon.  The introductory words should not normally be a prayer but an encouragement, based on Scripture, to minister peace to one another.  The second sentence, 'The peace of the Lord be always with you', is best kept as a standard introduction to the response, but may be seasonally varied, as for example, 'The peace of the risen Lord be always with you.'

The most significant point about the sharing of the peace, is precisely that  -  it is shared, and shared as a moment when a one congregant genuinely wishes another the deep shalom peace of God, signifying that there is reconciliation between them and a prayerful regard for wholeness in mind, body, soul and spirit.  This is why it should not be a superficial act, but rather one taken with understanding and a prayerful attitude.