Understanding the Liturgy The Greeting (Salutation)

There are different ways people greet each other daily. A greeting enables a relationship.

The liturgy of the church also provides God’s people with a greeting. The Lord be with you: And also with you. This ‘salutation’ is more than an every day greeting. It recognises that God really is with us – expressing the name given to Jesus, “Immanuel’, God with us. (Judges 6:12, Luke 1:28, 2 Thess. 3:16, 2 Timothy 4:22).

So, the words, ‘The Lord be with you: And also with you’, are especially appropriate where the Lord has promised his presence, especially the reading of the word and the administration of holy communion. Therefore, it comes before the Prayer of the Day, the prayer to prepare us to hear God’s word, and it begins the liturgy of the Lord’s Supper. It is also important leading up to the final blessing, sending us into the world. The Salutation expresses the bond between minister and congregation, expressing our common faith, common purpose and common desire to assist each other in worship. The pastor is really saying, “May the Lord be with you to help you in your worship.” And the people respond “And may he be with you as you lead us in worship.’ However, the greeting can also be part of the every day Christian speech when we say ‘God bless you.’

The Lord be with you: And also with you is an encouragement for Christians in daily life. In the older liturgies the people responded with ‘And with your Spirit.’ This is an even more fitting response as it affirms that we are worshipping in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God who testifies with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom.8:16)

Pastor Darryl

Photo by Erika Giraud on Unsplash