THE VITALITY OF THE
KISS OF PEACE
Most churches have a time of
greeting during their worship gatherings. When I was younger, I did not realize
the purpose and importance of greeting one another in the name of the Lord. My ignorance,
however, was derived from a lack of understanding about unity in the body of
Christ as well as the historic significance of greeting. In many contexts,
including my own, the greeting is placed toward the beginning of the worship
service. Historically, there has been a fourfold order in the church:
gathering, word, table, and sending.[1]
Placing the greeting during the gathering portion seems appropriate considering
the concept of God gathering his unified people to a place and attitude of
worship. I have also seen the greeting placed at the end of the service of the
word as the people of God move to the service of the table to symbolize the
perpetual communion and fellowship in Christ. No matter where the greeting is
placed, it is certainly an important and sacred act of worship.
The Apostle
Paul says to “greet one another with a holy kiss” (1 Cor 16:20). The thought of
a casual kiss in greeting someone may seem foreign to Americans. Nonetheless, a
kiss was a common form of greeting during Paul’s time. It was the equivalent of
our handshake, hug, or even fist bump in a modern context then, i.e. we are to
greet one another with a holy gesture, whatever that may be. How is that any
different than shaking hands in a business deal then? The word, holy, surely implies some sort of
difference.
My aim here
is to describe the kiss of peace and specifically its uniqueness to in the body
of Christ. Because it is no ordinary act, I have three items I would like to
suggest regarding the kiss of peace.
The Kiss of Peace Is a Sacred Act
First, the
kiss of peace is a sacred act. Many traditions refer to the kissing of peace as
passing the peace. The idea is that the peace of Christ is ever-present in the church.
It is no ordinary act; therefore, it should not be treated as such. The kiss of
peace has been a part of Christian gatherings since the early church. It is not
an extension of the previous week’s conversations of sports, entertainment, and
other trivial items. The kiss of peace is a holy greeting in the name of the
Lord; it is a rendering of peace. My observations in most contexts have led me
to conclude that most churches’ greeting times do not employ a passing of
peace, i.e. it is not a sacred act treated with utmost reverence. When we
realize that the kiss of peace is a sacred act of worship, we treat it as a
part of the dialogue between God and his people. The kiss of peace is unique,
and it is a sacred act.
The Kiss of Peace Is a Holy Act
Secondly,
the kiss of peace is a holy act. It is set apart from other acts of worship but
also distinctly from other (even friendly and kind) gestures we participate in
daily. The kiss of peace itself is holy in a practical sense because it is an
act of corporate worship unlike a handshake in a business deal. We should not
treat our greeting times as mere moments of entertaining conversation. We
should approach the kiss of peace with reverence and a realization that we are
participating in a holy act of worship.
It is set apart practically, but it
is also set apart spiritually, i.e. only the church can rightfully participate
in the kiss of peace. Tertullian says, “The
unity of the church of God is a perpetual fact; our task is not to create it,
but to exhibit it.”[2] Because of the unity in
Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, the kiss of peace is a display of
the body of Jesus Christ. Those who are not Christians lack the ability to
participate in the kiss of peace. The holiness of the kiss of peace then points
further to the uniqueness of the act. The kiss of peace is a holy act of
worship; we should then approach it as such.
The Kiss of Peace Points to a Deeper Reality
The deeper
reality which the kiss of peace points to is the perpetual unification of the
people of God. Tertullian had it right when he proposed that the church is
already unified in Christ; we must simply display it. It should break our
hearts when we see God’s people casually worship in any fashion, not the least
of which is through the kiss of peace. In our times of greeting, let us realize
the sacred act we participate in, and let us be a people who embody the peace
of Christ. Far from a casual time of merely saying hello, we have the privilege
and right to participate in a sacred and a holy act of worship when we offer
the kiss of peace.
[1] Robert E. Webber, Planning Blended Worship: The Creative
Mixture of Old and New (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1998), 21.
[2] Dow Kirkpatrick, ed., The Doctrine of the Church (New York: Abingdon Press, 1964),
187.
