The Greeting

At several points during the liturgy, the presider greets us with the words, “The Lord be with you.” These simple words are not like the greetings that we exchange all day long—our “good mornings,” our “hellos” and “how are you.” This liturgical greeting has roots deep in the Old Testament. In the book of Ruth, the words “the Lord be with you” are spoken by Boaz to the harvesters who are laboring in his fields (2:4); in the book of Judges, an angel speaks similar words to Gideon (6:12), where they are words of promise: for soon Gideon will lead his oppressed people to victory and freedom. For us, the words become a greeting of peace, a prayer that the Lord will indeed be with us, and a reminder of his promise to be with us always, to the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). Our response “And with your spirit”—returns to the presider this prayer for the Lord’s presence. As we know from the scriptures, a prayer for the Lord’s presence is no small thing, for when God comes in our midst, God brings healing, grace, and challenge. God’s presence transforms us.