WHY PROTESTANTS DON T KISS IN CHURCH Text: 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13 June 15, 2014 (Trinity) Faith J. Conklin In a certain household there were a grandfather, father and a young son, about eight years old. All were named John. One evening the phone rang. The mother answered. May I speak to John, please? asked the caller. Which one? she replied. Do you want John the father, John the son or John the holy terror? It s Father s Day. We celebrate and give thanks for that special relationship and love. It s also Trinity Sunday. That s about love and relationship too. It can also produce holy terror in pastors. James Hazelwood of Brooklyn, New York, preached on the Trinity. He writes, I thought I did a rather fine job of explaining the Trinity. After worship, a woman in the congregation walked up to me. She smiled and said, Pastor, I've been listening to preachers talk about the Trinity for nearly 70 years now. Then she paused. I thought she was going to add that I d finally made it clear for her. She went on: No pastor has ever been able to explain it to me. There was another pause. You know what I think? She looked me straight in the eye. I think that pastors don't understand it either. She s a wise woman. She s right. I d certainly never claim to understand the doctrine of the Trinity. I ve never been able to satisfactorily explain it to myself or anyone else. Nevertheless I celebrate it. I affirm it. I believe it. I find it a necessary and profound understanding of who God is and how God interacts with us. For me it s a symbol that speaks of our life together in the church and in the world. The Trinity isn t meant as a literal explanation Of God. It s a way to share what we believe and experience about God. One image of the Trinity I especially like is that of a circle of divine love. In the beginning this love created the earth and its creatures. In Jesus this same love became human to redeem, restore and make whole what was broken. It s this love that still lives and moves among us to bless, comfort and guide. One pastor describes this as power (Father), person (Son) and presence (Holy Spirit). Our text this morning is from Second Corinthians. It s one of two reference sin the New Testament with specific Trinity language. It s part of a letter Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth. He started the church there. It s one of the earlier Christian communities. Corinth was a major Greek seaport and a center of commerce. It s people were from all over Rome, Greece and Asia Minor. The Church reflected the city. It was diverse; its members had a variety of philosophies, cultures, life-styles, religious 1
backgrounds and opinions. Their differences often led to conflict. They argued about everything from eating to theology. Against that context we read Paul s words. Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. Paul is giving them advice on how to resolve their issues and work through their disputes. He keeps reminding them to be a community. They re one body in Christ. They re to act like it. He wants them to live as a witness to the gospel; to show the world how Christians love and behave toward one another. I suspect he d want to say a similar word to the Churches of today. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Paul uses Trinitarian language to speak to the needs at Corinth. He gives a summary of his faith about who God is and what God has done in Jesus Christ. He calls the Corinthians (and us) into whole and holy living. The grace of the- Lord Jesus Christ... Paul reminds the Corinthians how they got into this community. It was an act of grace. It was Jesus act of gracious, sacrificial, unmerited love. It wasn t something they d earned or accomplished. It was a gift. The love of God Jesus showed us the nature of God. He named God, Father. It was his way of telling us we could trust God. The Creator of the Universe isn't some far distant judge who s waiting to punish or condemn us. God wants to be in relationship with us. God loves and cares for us as a father loves and cares for his child. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit... The word is koinonia. We translate it fellowship. It s much more than liking each other, sharing coffee or having a good time together. Koinonia is caring for others as though their welfare were as important as our own. It s taking responsibility for their needs; sharing their pain and joy. It s wanting what s good for others (even if we don't like them or agree with them) and being willing to sacrifice something of ourselves to achieve it. The work of the Holy Spirit makes that kind of fellowship possible. It s God with us and at work in and among us. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. That's Paul's Trinity. He applies it functionally. He takes a theological doctrine and gives it ethical implications. God has shown us grace. Therefore we're to lie graciously with one another. God has acted toward us in love. Therefore we're to act 2
in love toward one another. God has reconciled us through the Holy Spirit. Therefore we're to be reconciled to one another. The Trinity reminds us that God exists in relationship. So do we. God is Three in One ; diversity held in unity. If that s what God is like, and we re created in God s image, we re to be like that also. The Trinity is an image of wholeness. In our world so often divided by schisms, isms, suspicion, hostility and hatred; it s a necessary and hopeful word. It invites us to live in God s love; to be loved by God and to love one another. It calls us to mend and heal broken relationships; individually, communally and globally. It s another call to live in community. In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell tells the interesting story of Christopher Langan. Langan was a genius with a staggering IQ of 195. During high school, Langan could ace any foreign language test by skimming the textbook 2-3 minutes before the exam. He got a perfect score on his SAT, even though at one point he fell asleep. But Langan failed to use his exceptional gifts and ended up working on a horse farm in rural Missouri. According to Gladwell, the reason that Langan never used the astounding gifts that he had was that he never had a community to help him capitalize on those gifts. Gladwell summarizes the story of Langan in one sentence: [Langan] had to make his way alone, and no one not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires, and not even geniuses ever makes it alone. No one makes it alone. We need one another. We need one another s gifts, support and encouragement. We need one another s strength, wisdom and direction. We need one another here in the church and in the world. If we fail to recognize or live by that truth it can ultimately lead to our destruction on both individual and global levels. Greet one another with a holy kiss In one sense, I suppose Paul was being practical. I guess he figured that if they hugged one other they wouldn't be so quick to slug one another. He was also referring to a common practice in the church. It s an instruction repeated several times in the New Testament. When the early Christians met each another, when they worshipped together and when they parted, they kissed one another. The kiss was generally on the cheek, the forehead or often on the hand. It was a sign of love and fellowship. The early church understood itself as a family. That family was formed not out of biological relationship but by faith. They were brothers and sisters in Christ. While kissing was customarily used to delineate an in and an out group, a group of others you didn t kiss, Christians used kissing as a symbol of inclusion and acceptance. 3
Until 1528, the holy kiss was included as part of each the Catholic mass. It was the Protestant Reformation that removed the kiss from Protestant services entirely. That s why Protestants don t kiss in Church. Now you know! Pastor Leonard Sweet in a sermon entitled, Those Kissing Christians brings the two themes together. He writes: Trinity Sunday isn t about theology. It s about kissology. It s about kissmetrics: the ability and facility of the Body of Christ to offer the first kiss of salvation to a world that s desperately in need of divine embrace: the touch of love, the touch of faith, the touch of hope. So what do you say, church? How good a kisser are we? How good are we at kissing our neighborhood, kissing our city, kissing our enemies, kissing our moment in history? This is Jesus kind of competition: who gets the Best Kiss Award? truth. Pastor Steve Albertin shares this story. It s both a parable and a witness of today s She was an awkward adolescent. She was convinced she was an ugly duckling, fat and plain. She was surely never the kind of girl any boy would ever give the time of day. She went to the dance anyway. She hoped against hope one particular boy she d secretly had her eyes on for months would pay attention to her. Maybe he d even ask her for a dance. She stood where all the ugly ducklings usually stood: off to the side and out of the way. Even there she was almost hidden. She was too ashamed to be visible, out in front, public. She was convinced everyone would make fun of her. Unexpectedly, surprisingly, miraculously, that very boy she d so secretly dreamed about came to her. There was no ridicule. There was no laughter; no rejection. Instead there was an invitation... to dance! She of all the beautiful girls in that room was asked to dance by this boy! Shocked, amazed, overwhelmed, thrilled, she couldn t believe it. There was only one question she wanted to ask. Why had he noticed her? Why did he want to dance with her? Why did he bother to pick her? Then she thought the better of it. This was no time to ask such questions or to probe the mystery. No! This was simply the time to enjoy the dance and enjoy the dance she did! Why does God bother to love us like God does? I don t know. How is God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? I don t know. I know God is and I know God does. Perhaps we don t have to probe the mystery. Perhaps today it s enough to simply receive the gift, to join and enjoy the dance! Greet one another with a holy kiss Maybe Protestants don t kiss in Church ; we can still offer and be God s kiss of love for the world. Amen. 4
PASTORAL PRAYER (6/15/14) Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord, God Almighty. We celebrate the works of your hands and rejoice in the wonders of your love. All around us we see the signs of your glory, goodness and grace. Each day reminds us anew of your care and mercy. In the beginning when there was nothing, Creator God, you brought forth life. You shaped order out of chaos and pierced the darkness with light. You called all creatures forth with your Word. You made us in your image, claimed us as your children and entrusted us to be the caretakers and stewards of your creation. Forgive us when we treat your gifts lightly or misuse them thinking they are for us alone. Holy One, you came to us in Jesus. In him you took our form and our flesh. You revealed the depth of your love and mercy. He lived and died and rose and ascended to reign with you. Forgive us. In the clamor and demands of our daily lives we forget what he taught us. We fail to live by his truth. O God, by your Holy Spirit you brought us into being as the church. You gave us power to be a community and enabled us to witness, minister, preach and teach. Your presence continues to comfort, guide and direct us. Your promises bring us comfort and give us courage. Lord, remind us again what it means to live in relationship with you and one another. Keep us always mindful of the ways our lives are connected. Help us to stay faithful to our mission and our task. Father, in trust we lift our prayers before you. We pray for those who are sick in body, mind or spirit. Fill them with your healing power. We pray for those who are grieving the death of one they love and for those whose own journey here is ending. Comfort and strengthen them with your presence. Lord, be with those who are struggling with hard decisions and facing painful choices. Give them wisdom. Embrace those who feel abandoned and alienated. Shelter those whose lives are shattered by war, violence, fear and hatred. Guide the leaders of our communities, country, nations and world to seek that peace and justice which transcends partisan agendas and private goals. Give them a vision that provides for the common good of all your children. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we bless and praise you. Stir us where we have become apathetic. Challenge us where we are too comfortable. Empower us to move into the world ready to speak your word and do your work. We pray as Jesus taught us saying, Our Father 5