Stepping Into the Text

Last night's midweek Bible study was a rich time. Examining Romans 16 we noticed the three main sections of the chapter -- personal greetings, a word of warning and the closing doxology. After a quick reading and overview of the chapter, I invited the congregation to step into the text by composing their own greetings, warnings and doxologies.

The folks participated well, remembering and celebrating people who had played significant roles in their lives over the years. In the end we experienced the kind of fellowship and community that I think reflected the text at hand.

Tim

A holy kiss

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