"It is no accident that the rubrics of the liturgy for nearly two thousand years have led the pastor to say. 'The Lord be with you,' immediately before Holy Communion. The word you is plural, meaning 'you all,' and does not refer to the individual. Here the heavenly Bridegroom unites in love with His bride, the church. This pastoral greeting is in essence a blessing that speaks the foundational truth of the Divine Service: Christ comes for us in the words and actions that are taking place. And Christ's bride responds, 'And with your spirit.' The individual personality of the man standing before them is not important. The response 'And with your spirit' gives verbal recognition to the truth that the greeting is from the Lord Himself, spoken through His called servant. God's Word does what it says it does...."
Kenneth Weiting. The Blessings of Weekly Communion. CPH: 2006. pg. 22. Commenting on Grime and Herl, Hymn Supplement 98 Handbook
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