The Pax Domini

Pax Domini is Latin for “the peace of the Lord.” These words can be traced back to Christ Himself as He appeared to the apostles after the resurrection saying, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19-21). Jesus’ words are more than a simple greeting. His word has the power to do what it says, so this proclamation truly bestows peace on the hearer. And this peace is not an emotion or physical sense of calm, but it is the greater reality that Christ has reconciled man to God by taking the consequence of our sin upon Himself. When Jesus appeared to the apostles, He declared that He was their peace with God. So also when the Pax Domini is spoken in the Divine Service, it is not merely a wish or greeting, but a full declaration that the peace which our Lord Jesus Christ has purchased and won by His death and resurrection is present here in the Sacrament and now given to His people.

The pastor may elevate the host and the chalice while intoning the Pax Domini. The elevation shows the congregation precisely where their peace is to be found—in our Lord’s very body and blood in, with, and under the bread and wine. The congregation responds, “Amen,” which means, “Yes, yes, it shall be so” (Small Catechism III.9). In so doing, we join our faith to the declaration of peace, acknowledging Christ’s true presence under the bread and wine for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

The Pax Domini found a home in the liturgy early on and has been retained for most of Church history, though it has been moved around in the service. Beginning in the late fourth century, it was associated with the Exchange of Peace (or the Kiss of Peace) and placed at the end of the Service of the Word. This emphasized the unity of the faithful as they prepared to receive the Lord’s Supper together. This practice had largely disappeared by the time of the Reformation, though the language of the Pax Domini was retained. Luther sought to shift the primary focus back to the gift of peace from God to us, so he placed it after the Words of Our Lord without the Exchange of Peace. This has been the standard Lutheran practice ever since. This does not downplay the importance of reconciliation with one another but recognizes that the fellowship that we share comes by virtue of our faith in Christ. He is the one who brings us to faith and gives us the gifts in the Sacrament which both strengthen our individual faith and our bonds with one another, being knit together as His Body, the Church. He is our peace, and in Him, we are at peace with one another (Ephesians 2:13-14).

The Words of Our Lord

The Words of Our Lord are the high point of the Service of the Sacrament. They are drawn from the accounts of Jesus instituting the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday according to the holy Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Saint Paul. Everything else in the Service of the Sacrament flows out from these words because they are the authoritative source of the teaching of what the Lord’s Supper is: “The true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink” (Small Catechism VI.1).

Previous hymnals have called these “The Words of Institution,” a title which emphasizes the historicity of the Sacrament as instituted by Christ. Our Lutheran Service Book has reinstated the ancient title, “The Words of Our Lord,” which is a translation of the Latin Verba domini (sometimes abbreviated to simply, “Verba”). This title emphasizes the present reality of the Sacrament. The Lord’s Supper is not only a historic event conducted by Jesus two thousand years ago, but these words are the means by which Christ effects the Sacrament in all times and places according to His command, “Do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). Without the Words of Our Lord, we have mere bread and wine and no assurance of blessing. Wherever the Lord’s Supper is celebrated according to Christ’s institution and with His Words, there Christ’s body and blood are truly present and given to us to eat and to drink for the forgiveness of sins. Christ Himself speaks the Verba through the pastor, and His Word is efficacious—it does what it says to bestow His gifts on us.

The Verba have always been used in the Eucharistic liturgy. In the Middle Ages, they were included in a longer set of prayers which turned the Sacrament into a sacrifice, as though the priest was offering up Christ’s body and blood to God. This part of the liturgy was spoken in Latin by the priest privately at the altar so the people could neither hear nor understand it. Luther removed these prayers from the liturgy and returned the Words of Our Lord to a standalone proclamation that was sung out loud for the congregation to hear. He also set the Verba to the same chant tone that was used for the reading of the holy Gospel. The effect of this was that the people, who had only rarely heard the Verba before, now heard the words of Christ clearly and, because of the music Luther used, now associated the Sacrament with the Gospel, rather than with a sacrifice that we offer to God. The Words of Our Lord are pure Gospel—Christ for us.

The Lord's Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer has been connected to the Lord’s Supper since the Early Church. Over time, it was expanded into the Canon of the Mass, an elaborate set of prayers which also contained the Words of Institution. By Luther’s time, the Canon was full of sacrificial language, as though the priest offered up Christ as a sacrifice to the Father. Luther called this an abomination and removed it from the liturgy, retaining only the Lord’s Prayer and the Words of Institution. Eucharistic Prayers have since returned to some settings of our liturgy and are beneficial as further preparation for the Sacrament. The Eucharistic Prayers we use today focus on the benefits received in the Sacrament and petitions that we receive it faithfully and worthily.

Each petition of the Lord’s Prayer is answered directly in the Words of Institution and reception of the Sacrament which follow. When we pray, “Our Father,” we acknowledge that our worthiness to approach the altar of God comes only by His grace given to us when He made us His children in Baptism. When our Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples the Lord’s Prayer, He gave all the baptized a model for calling upon our heavenly Father who graciously hears our prayer and gives us all good things according to His Word (Matthew 6:9-13). In the Lord’s Prayer, we lay claim to our right as children of God to call upon Him as we prepare to receive the Sacrament. Our status as heirs with Christ is the confidence by which we enter into the Holy of Holies (Hebrews 10:19-25).

God’s name is hallowed when the Church faithfully celebrates the Lord’s Supper according to Christ’s institution. We pray, “Thy kingdom come,” and we receive it in the Sacrament which bestows life and salvation. We witness the will of God being done as heaven is joined to earth and salvation is given to us in Christ’s body and blood. “Give us this day our daily bread” is answered as we receive the bread of life from heaven. We ask, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Christ’s blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins, now given to us in the Sacrament, and we confess our fellowship and unity with our brothers and sisters as we commune as one body of Christ. We pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” and we receive Christ’s very body and blood for the strengthening of our faith and protection against the devil, the world, and our sinful nature. As a preparation for the Sacrament, the Lord’s Prayer gives voice to our true needs and points us to the place where God answers our prayer.