Together in Christ: 'The Sacred Kiss' — 2 Corinthians 13:12

Believers in Christ are brothers and sisters with each other and, as such, must be concerned about each other, support each other, and not do things that harm each other. ^[1] Our Christian brothers and sisters are not only friends of Jesus, ^[2] but they are also the younger brothers and sisters of Jesus, just as we are. We all share the same Abba Father, God. ^[3] Beginning very early in the history of the church, Christians shared a sacred family kiss with each other as a part of their worship gatherings. It was commanded and widely practiced in the early churches. ^[4] The sacred kiss may have been part of the "love feast," ^[5] possibly a common meal shared along with the Lord's Table.

Far from a gathering of anonymous people for a large worship gathering, the early church was rooted in authentic fellowship, the kind Jesus described in His teaching on genuine fellowship! ^[6]

So, rather than practicing the holy kiss as little more than an agenda item to accomplish in our gathering of strangers we call a worship service, we must move to a greater sense of belonging, accountability, responsibility, encouragement, and support for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Such fellowship means getting involved with each other as we love each other in tangible and practical ways. ^[7] We should know enough about each other and our lives that we know how to encourage and build each other up. We must not settle for "going to church" and having worship done to us or for us. Let's invest ourselves in worship that is rooted in the kind of fellowship Jesus shared with his disciples, both men and women.