How We Worship Part Three: God's Welcoming Word

The greeting in corporate worship functions as God’s welcoming word, rooted in Scripture and saturated with gospel meaning. Scripture opens the service with salutations from the apostolic letters—brief prayers that wish grace and multiplied peace—so the worshiping assembly hears God speak first. Cultural examples of greeting (handshakes, Eskimo kisses, European cheek brushes) illustrate how salutations communicate identity and peace; liturgy shapes the greeting to mark theological intent rather than mere social exchange. The order of worship follows a vertical, dialogical flow: God calls, the people respond, God greets, the people listen and confess, and God’s word governs the rest. This vertical pattern protects the service from substituting horizontal fellowship for divine address and keeps the focus on God’s glory and the mechanics of covenantal dialogue.

The greeting also conveys rich content: it announces reconciliation, forgiveness, and the covenantal certainty that flows from knowing Christ. Those opening words presume salvation by grace through faith, apply mercy even to the troubled or unbelieving, and free worshipers to receive conviction without fear. Lifting hands at the salutation signals that the greeting is not merely human chatter but a divinely authorized word. Ordained commissioning gives the minister the standing to speak God’s salutation publicly, which frames the assembly’s ears and hearts to receive the rest of the service. Because the greeting always promises grace and peace in Christ, the law’s later rebuke lands within a gospel context that points to hope rather than condemnation.

The greeting functions practically and pastorally: it steadies conscience, welcomes sinners, and points listeners to Christ’s surety before the preaching and sacraments proceed. When the assembly receives the divine handshake in faith—eyes lifted, posture turned toward God—the subsequent readings, confession, preaching, and sacraments fall into their intended place as responses to God’s initiating mercy. The liturgical choice to keep greeting vertical does not reject fellowship but preserves worship’s covenantal engine so the gospel remains central, transforming both private hearts and public life.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Worship begins with God's salutation The opening salutation places God’s voice first, framing the entire service as a response to divine initiative. Hearing “grace and peace” before any human word reorients conscience from shame to reception, so law and exhortation later land as guidance within mercy. This salutation assumes covenantal belonging rather than mere moral instruction, inviting confidence in approaching God. [00:48]
• 2. Vertical dialogical worship, not horizontal greeting The liturgy orders speech vertically: God speaks, people answer, God greets, people respond. Preserving that flow prevents social fellowship from displacing covenantal address and keeps the assembly’s focus on God’s glory rather than human affirmation. This structure enables honest confession under a prior word of mercy. [09:15]
• 3. Greeting proclaims multiplied grace and peace The biblical salutation repeatedly prays for grace and abundant peace, signaling reconciliation, forgiveness, and covenantal certainty through Christ. Those words carry assurance into worship, so conviction becomes corrective rather than condemning. The salutation thus creates a safe posture for spiritual conviction and conversion. [23:53]
• 4. Ordained voice conveys divine authority Raising hands at the salutation and the practice of ordination mark the greeting as God’s word conveyed through a divinely authorized minister. That visible sign directs attention upward and confirms the greeting’s covenantal force, distinguishing liturgical speech from casual fellowship. The ordained greeting enables the congregation to receive peace with confidence. [18:08]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:29] - Scripture readings: 1 & 2 Peter
• [02:14] - Why greetings matter
• [03:06] - Handshake as peace symbol
• [05:05] - Greeting and worship culture
• [09:15] - Dialogical structure of worship
• [16:49] - Greeting as God’s first word
• [18:08] - Ordination and raised hands
• [23:53] - “Grace and peace multiplied”
• [33:56] - Prayer and application

1. What two things does the apostle Peter wish to be "multiplied" to the recipients of his letters in both 1 Peter 1:2 and 2 Peter 1:2?
2. According to the sermon, what does the raising of hands by the minister during the greeting signify about the nature of those words? [06:19]
3. What cultural examples of greetings were given to illustrate how they communicate identity and peace? [02:28]
4. How does the sermon describe the structure or "flow" of the worship service? [09:47]

1. The greeting offers "grace and peace multiplied." In what ways can grace and peace be understood as "multiplied" or abundant in a believer's life, rather than just a simple greeting?
2. The sermon states the greeting is "God's divine handshake." What does this metaphor communicate about God's attitude toward his people as they begin to worship? [20:31]
3. The sermon argues for a "vertical, dialogical" flow in worship. Why might maintaining this vertical focus be so important that it shapes the decision not to include a time of horizontal greeting among people during the service? [08:44]
4. The greeting is said to be spoken with divine authority through an ordained minister. How does this practice connect to the biblical concept of God using appointed messengers to speak to his people?

1. The opening salutation places God’s voice first, framing the entire service as a response to divine initiative. What practical step could you take before the service begins to prepare your heart to receive God's welcoming word of grace and peace?
2. Hearing “grace and peace” before any human word reorients conscience from shame to reception. When you hear the law read or a call to confession later in the service, how might remembering this prior greeting change your response from one of guilt to one of grateful repentance? [32:37]
3. God is directing his hand of peace, of love, of fellowship, looking you in the eye, gripping your heart firmly in the greeting. How can you actively "stare back" and receive this divine handshake with the focus and reverence it deserves, especially when the words are so familiar? [22:39]
4. These welcoming words are always words of peace and are extended even to the troubled or unbelieving. Who in your life needs to hear that God's first word to them is one of welcome and grace in Christ, not accusation? How could you share this truth with them? [27:19]
5. The liturgical choice to keep the greeting vertical does not reject fellowship but preserves worship’s covenantal engine. How does understanding the "why" behind the liturgy affect your participation in it? Does it make you more appreciative of the order of service?
6. The greeting assures us of covenantal belonging rather than mere moral instruction. In your own walk with God, do you more often approach him based on your performance or based on your belonging to Christ? How can the truth of the greeting reshape your default mode of approach?
7. When the assembly receives the divine handshake in faith—eyes lifted, posture turned toward God—the subsequent elements fall into their intended place. What is one thing that typically distracts you during the opening moments of a service, and how can you fight to turn your posture toward God instead?