Many churches have a time of greeting at some point in their service. This can range from awkward to inviting.
At some of these churches people merely shake hands and mumble a rote greeting. Folks at other congregations actually make eye contact and smile as they greet one another. And at a few places, a meaningful connection begins.
One of the 52 churches we visited carried this to an extreme. The minister told us to “greet one another with a holy kiss.” It was a bit creepy, marking one of my more uncomfortable moments that year.
Fortunately, few people attended that Sunday, so the number of holy kisses we received was minimal.
I know this is biblical, with Paul mentioning it four times. But I don’t really know what it means.
Even after experiencing it, I can’t describe it, except for creepy. And Paul doesn’t explain it or offer instructions; he just says to do it. But we can infer a few things.
Church
Each time Paul mentions holy kiss, it’s in a letter to a church, so it must be just for the church community. I take this to imply that outsiders (or in our case, visitors) are not included.
Intimate
A kiss is an intimate sign of affection. Since the context is church, we might want to dismiss a holy kiss as being an act of physical intimacy, instead understanding it as spiritual intimacy.
Holy
Something sacred or hallowed.
This implies a holy kiss is a sacred act of spiritual intimacy for a church community, but I still don’t know how to do it.
[Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, and 1 Thessalonians 5:26]
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
Bogged Down Reading the Bible?
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
2 replies on “What Does it Mean to Greet One Another With a Holy Kiss?”
Peter, I just read this verse this morning and thought about how we don’t do this, but I think of it more as a heart commitment in the church … like feel towards one another as if you would give them a holy kiss … that kind of spiritual intimacy. Circumcision was part of the law, but now is circumcision of the heart. Just some thoughts ….
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Kathy. I will continue to contemplate this biblical instruction. (Maybe it’s a metaphor?)