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.)

Bum Rush the Show

Galatians 3:27-28

As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

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What we got to say
Power to the people no delay
To make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be

"Fight the Power" by Chuck D and Flavor Flav from Fear of a Black Planet by Public Enemy

Rock and roll does anger very well, and every beat of angry rock can easily be met with angry rap. It is said that freedom delayed is freedom denied, Chuck D says "Power to the people no delay."

It's amazing how many believe one people to be superior to another in the eyes of God and man. Somehow, people forget that in Paul's writings-when in Christ discinctions between people disappear.

If Paul had been asked to make a better list of those in whom there is no distinction, He would not have written a disclaimer worthy of a car ad on TV. Something like: “there is no distinction between people; including but not limited to Jew and Greek, Israelite and gentile, slave and free, men and women, black and white, rich and poor, homosexual and heterosexual, oppressor and oppressed, western and eastern, Catholic and Protestant, ninety days same as cash with approved credit, dealer retains all incentives.”

Given this, anger seems to be a logical response. When those who are powerful put themselves above others, they put themselves not beside God but in place of God. We are called to judge behavior, there are both right and wrong things to do. But as the children of God, we are all the judged not by another person, but by the High Priest of the Faith; the Prophet, Priest, and King--the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anger that burns city blocks is not productive. Anger that riles against injustice, that is the anger Jesus himself showed in the temple, that's something no moneychanger will ever forget.

The Time Has Come to Tell the World

Acts 1:6

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”

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Time has come today
Young hearts can go their way
Can't put it off another day
I don't care what others say
They say we don't listen anyway
Time has come today

"Time Has Come Today" by Joe and Willie Chambers recorded by The Chambers Brothers

Pink Floyd sings "Time is the same in a relative way but you're older, shorter of breath and one day closer to death." There's a pessimistic fatalistic attitude in our time that can't disagree with this statement. I guess if you look at life one day at a time with the only goal being the end of days, this is your song. It's tempting on a very bad day, but this is not our call. This view of time is not our vocation.

So the Apostles asked Jesus "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" Jesus said, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.” The time is not for us to know, but Jesus shares two words with his disciples. He tells them that they will receive the power of the Holy Spirit and they are to be God's witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. They were called to share the Good News from the End of the World to their towns.

Well, we still don't know the time when Jesus will return in glory. So far everyone who has made that prediction was wrong. But the time has still come today. The time has come that we have been filled with the Holy Spirit. The time has come that we have been given the power of God. The time has come when we are called to share the word of God with the world.

We are called to tell the world that Christ has come, Christ has risen, and Christ will come again. Scripture doesn't tell us to get ready, scripture tells us to be ready. So take the power we have been given and share the word with the world.

As the Chambers Brothers sing, there are people who will not listen. There are those who are so hard hearted that they may never hear, but there are still others who haven't listened in the past who may hear today. So share and know that it doesn't matter what others say, the time has come today!