A Holy Kiss

Romans 16:16
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

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You don't have to be rich
To be my girl
You don't have to be cool
To rule my world
Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with
I just want your extra time and your

Kiss

"Kiss" by Prince recorded by The Art of Noise with Tom Jones.

Everyone knows what a kiss is, but what makes a kiss holy? The simplest definition of holy is "set aside for particular service to God." This is what makes communion holy, it is a meal set aside by the Lord who calls us to share it until he returns in glory.

But what makes a kiss holy?

This section from Romans is where Paul wraps up the letter. In this section he sends his greetings to the people of the Church at Rome who have supported the cause of Christ, and him in particular. Paul greets and thanks many, many people. Some of the names are Latin, some Greek, some Asian. Paul greets people from all over the globe at the church in Rome.

It's also the source for a joke from the movie "Dogma" where Kevin Smith introduces the world to the 13th Apostle Rufus. Verse 13 contains a greeting to Rufus who is chosen in the Lord, but that's for another day.

Paul greets them all and bids they greet one another with a holy kiss. A kiss of welcome to all of God's disciples. He asks them to kiss one another with a kiss set aside for the Lord. He isn't asking them to develop a kiss that would rival a fraternity handshake, he is asking them to set aside time and action to welcome and greet one another in the name and the sight of the Lord.

Paul reached out to all sorts of people in this chapter from Romans. It's easy to imagine that the people he greets can be rich and poor, cool and geeky, man and woman.

Tom sings of not needing to be compatible with a particular sign, presumably a zodiac sign. As for Christ, he is compatible with is the sign of the cross. This a sign that was set aside so that we will all know and remember his holy life.

That's all he wants, our time and our

Kiss. (Think I better dance now.)