Provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together… but encouraging one another. Hebrews 10:24,25.

God meets us, personally, alone, in solitary places: Jacob at Bethel, Moses before a burning bush, Isaiah in the temple, Jesus in the wilderness, Paul in a ‘third heaven’, John on an island. Corporate worship is when private, solitary people come together.

God also meets us in community. Fellowship is caring for one another, sharing joys and sorrows. So in the early church absenteeism was considered to be spiritually disastrous. A church – however large – must not resemble an assembly of strangers. Put 10-15 minutes – sometimes more or less – into your worship-time for people to share their lives with one another.

This time begins with ‘passing the peace’, or greeting one another, in an appropriate way. Traditionally, the ancient practice involved clasping hands and saying to one another ‘(name) may the peace of Jesus Christ be with you’ to which the other responds ‘And with you too, (name)’. We do not need to be rigid: perhaps we could simply introduce this segment with ‘Let us greet one another/exchange some sign of peace’. Passing the peace is much more than a gesture of friendship: it is, as one liturgist puts it, ‘a sacrament of unity in the Spirit.’

So worship with my brothers and sisters in Christ is a family affair: help me to encourage someone somehow every time I go. Amen.