About Holy Kissing
05-18-08
Lord Halifax, a former foreign secretary of Great Britain, once shared a railway compartment with two prim-looking older single women. A few moments before reaching his destination the train passed through a tunnel. In the utter darkness Halifax kissed the back of his hand noisily several times. When the train drew into the station, he rose, lifted his hat, and in a gentlemanly way said, "May I thank whichever one of you two ladies I am indebted to for the charming incident in the tunnel." He then made a hasty retreat, leaving the two ladies glaring at one another. 1
Ah the scandal of a kiss. Let’s talk for a few minutes today about kissing. That might sound a like a strange theme for Trinity Sunday, but don’t blame me. The Apostle Paul says in our scripture today, "Greet one another with a holy kiss." And who am I to argue with St. Paul? If he wants us to talk about kissing today, well so be it. Besides, nearly everybody is interested in kissing.
Kissing is good for your health. According to the Academy of General Health, kissing provides the teeth with the calcium and phosphorous they need to build strong enamel. A study found that those who kiss a spouse, or child, or partner in the morning miss less work because of illness than those who do not. Now, I’m not sure the value of kissing our favorite pet, other than lots of slobber and a wagging tail. But kissing a partner also means the kisser will have fewer auto accidents on the way to work. Kissers earn 20%-30% more monthly and they live about five years longer than those who don’t even give each other a peck on the cheek. The study suggests that the kisser begins the day with a more positive attitude. A kiss signifies a sort of seal of approval.
Maybe that is why the church in Corinth was reminded to greet each other with a holy kiss. It was good for the health of the community. Now before you run out to find a kissing buddy, perhaps we should examine what makes a kiss "holy", in the Biblical sense that is.
Did you know that people in other countries, especially men, kiss more than we do? A ritual kiss on both cheeks is quite common in many places in the world. That ritual began in biblical times. Remember how Judas betrayed Christ, with a kiss? The holy kiss was a very powerful symbolic act. So, when Paul writes to the church at Corinth, "Greet one another with a holy kiss…" he is writing something that is both appropriate, needed, and within the cultural context. To kiss another on the cheek was a deep sign of respect. In the church at Corinth men and women worshipers sat separately from one another, so this practice of the holy kiss offered no opportunity for abuse. Kissing was truly a holy act.
Paula Spencer, writing in Aspire Magazine provides some very interesting information about holy kissing. Have you ever received a letter from someone special with "XXX" scrawled at the bottom of it? Paula describes that before XXX meant kisses, it stood for "Christ". During the largely illiterate Medieval days, a signature cross, an "X" was a legally valid mark, chosen because it was a religious symbol and also represented chi, the first letter of the Greek word for Christ and Christos. To emphasize sincerity in signing an agreement, a man would kiss his mark- thus the shorthand meaning it bears today. You see, Holy kissing signifies sincerity; it signifies respect.
And why was this such an important reminder to the church at Corinth? The Corinthians were deeply divided over many issues. They fought over many questions of orthodoxy…you know, things like how one should behave when [s]he was at church and how the Memorial Fund money should be spent. And yet even in the midst of their anger, they didn’t have to go far to kiss someone they were upset with. He or she was probably seated just a few seats away. In the context of worship, they kissed the very people they fought with.
We all know that fighting in the church is nothing new, obviously. Generations of Christians have become upset with their fellow churchgoers at some time in their lifetime. Church leaders in Utah were quite upset when their state passed a law allowing worshipers to carry concealed weapons in church. Think how quickly things could get out of hand. It has been known to happen. Even in this church we sometimes nitpick and for heaven’s sake look at the fighting that happens across denominational lines! Fighting within the church can sometimes be a bigger threat to its health than the outside world.
Paul feared that for the church at Corinth. Most of his letters were devoted to settling disputes within churches. So he pleads, mend your ways, live in peace, and greet one another with a holy kiss. For goodness sake, you don’t all have to agree on everything, but at least show each other some respect.
Now I’ve noticed that we don’t make it a habit to kiss one another here at Newman. And yet, each Sunday we do greet each other with the sign of Christ’s peace, through a holy embrace, a hug or a handshake. The act of passing the peace, or holy embrace, is suppose to remind us, like that kiss did so long ago, that despite our differences we all share the same Creator God. Our souls are all healed by the same Redeemer, and it is the same Spirit that inspires each of us to do our work and become who we are called to be. The act of the holy embrace is meant to be a sign of respect, and sign of sincerity.
Unity within the body of Christ is very important. Unity allows love to grow forward. And yet, I think sometimes we mistake unity for uniformity. We are not called to all think exactly alike, but to celebrate our differences and work together in a Spirit of openness and respect. In the act of holy embrace we are encouraged to focus on those things that unite us rather than divide us. I think we remember and respect well in this congregation.
And I think that the way we treat each other here in this body, establishes a model for how to establish peace and respect in the larger community. In a world currently divided over cultural, ethnic, and religious differences. What more healing words can the church offer then love, grace, and peace; words and actions that tell others that we respect them? If we are able to genuinely respect each other in the midst of our differences, then we have captured something the world needs to learn. And we have been asked to kiss the world with God’s Word.
In the Matthew text this morning, Jesus charges his disciples with "making disciples." The verb used in this passage implies the idea of making others "active and participating learners." And that is really what we are doing in a time of holy embrace, we actively participate and begin to learn what it means to share and receive God’s grace. How then do we embrace our communities in a holy embrace? What is the best way to make people want to become learners and disciples? Kiss them with sincerity…embrace them with sincerity…respect them despite differences…give them a seal of approval that tells them that there is a God who loves them very much. And then we begin to learn together in a spirit of sincerity. Mending ways takes time, takes love, takes patience, takes mistakes, and takes grace.
So maybe we all need to find a new kissing buddy…find someone within and beyond this church community who needs to be reminded of God’s holy embrace…an embrace that reminds us that we all share the same Creator, that our souls are all healed by the same Redeemer, and that we all share the same Spirit that inspires each of us to do our work and become who we are called to be. There are people in this community, people we have never met before who are in need of our touch, and in need of an example of peace. Perhaps you need to embrace someone, literally and figuratively, and let them know that despite your differences you respect them and communicate with them from a place of sincerity. Perhaps, by our example, we can draw people into a different way of relating to each other…a way that includes sincere and honest communication…a way that knows when to admit we are wrong and mend our relationships…a way that can sincerely say I respect you for who you are: a child of God.
You know, I hear kissing is really good for your health. This world is struggling with its health. So, my friends, kiss someone with your encouraging word and embrace this day and every day. Thanks be to God, Amen.
1 A story told by King Duncan in a sermon entitled, "About Kissing."
Blessings,
Melissa