This evening I am finishing a teaching series on Romans with a look at chapter 16. This really is a fascinating chapter. John Stott quotes Emil Brunner calling it "one of the most instructive chapters in the New Testament." The historical detective work into the identity of many of the individuals named in the chapter provides a priceless look into the makeup of the early church.
What caught me this afternoon was the holy kiss in verse 16. I remember as a youth giggling about this when I stumbled across it. Since then, I have visited cultures where the holy kiss is still alive and well. Today my task will be to try to draw a parallel that fits our current setting -- a hearty handshake or a warm hug?
But what amazed me most was that the kiss was described as holy and encouraged by the apostle. After all, we have seen a kiss as a greeting before in the New Testament. I would have thought that Judas' treacherous kiss would have been enough to deep-six any thought of a kiss as a greeting of faith within the early church.
Yet it remained. It seems we must not let occasional brokenness and random misuse steal from us the things that are right.
So tonight I will teach. And I will give at least one person as holy a kiss as I can (my wife). The rest I will give hearty handshake and a warm hug!
Tim
What caught me this afternoon was the holy kiss in verse 16. I remember as a youth giggling about this when I stumbled across it. Since then, I have visited cultures where the holy kiss is still alive and well. Today my task will be to try to draw a parallel that fits our current setting -- a hearty handshake or a warm hug?
But what amazed me most was that the kiss was described as holy and encouraged by the apostle. After all, we have seen a kiss as a greeting before in the New Testament. I would have thought that Judas' treacherous kiss would have been enough to deep-six any thought of a kiss as a greeting of faith within the early church.
Yet it remained. It seems we must not let occasional brokenness and random misuse steal from us the things that are right.
So tonight I will teach. And I will give at least one person as holy a kiss as I can (my wife). The rest I will give hearty handshake and a warm hug!
Tim
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4 comments:
Tim,
I have read your two posting. They make me wait for the next one. You know my heart about pastoral ministry, and my fears for its future. Thank you for this strong offering to keep us on the right track. You are an excellent writer. Keep these coming.
Bob.
Amen! I have found holy "high-fives" to be appropriate for some youth.
You've begun a very interesting trek into the blogosphere. Tread carefully. Spoken words (especially out of place) are easily forgotten, but written (recorded) words have staying power, both for good and for evil.
Joel
PS I'm obviously not familiar with posting comments, because I'm listed as "anonymous"!
Tim,
Enjoyed the post. Of course, you know I have lived in the culture where the holy kiss is practiced often. But beyond that greetings beyond a nod of the head are so important. I miss it being here, so preach the importance of greeting one another in the name of Christ.
Andrew
I think I need to change my screen name I'm still tio Andres. You can call me hermano Andres.
Andrew
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