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A Kiss Is Just a Kiss? 2 Corinthians 13:11-14 NUCC Traditional 07 June 2020

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A Kiss Is Just a Kiss? 2 Corinthians 13:11-14 NUCC Traditional 07 June 2020 A Kiss Is Just a Kiss? 2 Corinthians 13:11-14 NUCC Traditional 07 June 2020 *PRAY I recently finished reading the book The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson, which chronicles Winston Churchill’s first year in office as Prime Minister and focuses especially on the Blitz of London and the daily difficult decisions he was faced with. You also get to know many other leaders during this time in British history, including Lord Halifax, who essentially declined to become the Prime Minister after Chamberlain resigned thus making way for Churchill. However, Halifax did serve in the War Cabinet and eventually would become Ambassador to the United States. There is a great story about Lord Halifax. He once shared a railway compartment with two prim-looking older single women. A few moments before reaching his destination the train passed through a tunnel. In the utter darkness Halifax kissed the back of his hand noisily several times. When the train drew into the station, he rose, lifted his hat, and, in a gentlemanly way, said: "May I thank whichever one of you two ladies I am indebted to for the charming incident in the tunnel." He then beat a hasty retreat, leaving the two ladies glaring at each other. Kissing may sound like a strange theme for a sermon, but please do not blame me. It is Paul, the author of our scripture reading for this morning, who brings it up, when, in verse 12, in this second letter to the church in Corinth, he writes: "Greet one another with a holy kiss." [1] And who am I to argue? If the Apostle Paul wants us to talk about kissing today, well, so be it. Besides, nearly everybody is interested in kissing. I read about a court case that involved kissing. Clare Tomie of Detroit told a circuit court jury she does not feel a thing when she kisses her husband, and the jury decided the lack of sensation was worth $275,000. Mrs. Tomie, who was awarded $260,000 said a dental operation left her lower lip and lower jaw permanently numb and had caused a strain in her relationship with her husband. The jury of four women and two men also awarded her husband $15,000. Some of you might say that was a frivolous suit. Others would say that was a fair settlement. I guess it depends on how much you value a kiss. Paula Spencer, writing in Aspire magazine, gives us some interesting information about kissing. She begins with the "XXX" sometimes scrawled at the bottom of letters. She says that before XXX meant kisses, it stood for "Christ." During the largely illiterate Medieval days, a signature cross, an "X," was a legally valid mark, chosen because it was a religious symbol and represented chi, the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, Christos. To emphasize sincerity in signing an agreement, a person would kiss their mark--thus the shorthand meaning it bears today. Kisses were banned in World War II--on soldiers' letters, that is. The British and American governments were afraid that spies within the armed services might begin using the "XXX" mark to encode secret messages. Spencer lists some old superstitions about kissing: "If your nose itches, you'll kiss a fool." "A falling star means a kiss." "If the hem of your dress is turned up, you'll soon get a kiss." Kissing on the silver screen is nothing new, she notes. The kissingest movie ever was 1926's Don Juan, in which John Barrymore bussed Mary Astor and Estelle Taylor 126 times. [2] Hand-wrapped chocolate drops called Hersey's Kisses were introduced in 1907. Hershey Foods Corporation, which now makes 33 million of the no-longer hand- wrapped candies a day, states that the treats were named for the sound made when the chocolate is squeezed onto a conveyor belt during manufacturing. Kissing is good for your health. According to the Academy of General Dentistry, lip locks help prevent tooth decay by stimulating saliva flow, which provides teeth with the calcium and phosphorous they need to build strong enamel. If you want to be happy, healthy, successful, and live longer, give your spouse a kiss before you go to work each day. That is the conclusion of a study in Germany. According to Dr. Arthur Sazbo, the study found that those who kiss their spouse each morning miss less work because of illness than those who do not. They also have fewer auto accidents on the way to work. They earn 20 to 30 percent more monthly, and they live about five years longer than those who don't even give each other a peck on the cheek. The reason for this, says Dr. Sazbo, is that the kissers begin the day with a positive attitude. A kiss signifies a sort of seal of approval, and those who don't experience it, for whatever reason, go out the door feeling not quite right about themselves. What is interesting to note about today’s text, in this context, is that the Corinthian church was torn with strife. They didn't have to go far to kiss someone they were upset with. And we know that fighting in church is nothing new. There was a news story out of Berlin, Germany recently concerning two women who came to blows in church. It began because one of the women could not stop sneezing. I guess the other thought she should take her misery outside. When the [3] sneezing woman refused to budge, the offended woman made a particularly offensive gesture at her, and the fight was on. In church, no less! Scholars note that in the time when Paul would have written this letter, pagan people believed that they could appeal to their gods to curse their enemies and opponents. Tablets have been found with curses sworn in the name of some god against people. Some theologians wonder if the Corinthian Christians were cursing others in the name of Jesus. That would, of course, be a gross misuse of Jesus' name. But it also demonstrates how out of hand this church was. And so, with that context in mind, we can envision the Apostle Paul appealing to the Church in Corinth to be united as the Body of Christ: “…Agree with one another, live in peace…Greet one another with a holy kiss.” Suddenly these words take on new significance when you understand the historical context. Paul wanted them to end their bickering and to be about the work of Christ. It is impossible to overstate the importance of creating a loving community within the walls of the church. Because if we can create that loving community within Naples United Church of Christ, then we can take it into the streets of communities and create that same understanding of love. I read something interesting about emperor penguins in Antarctica. Penguins are fascinating birds who instinctually know how to survive in the hostile environment of Antarctica. If emperor penguins do not work together, they perish. Thousands of male penguins huddle together, providing each other enough warmth to last through the most brutal subfreezing weather. They take turns walking [4] around the outside of the huddle while those in the middle sleep. Teamwork means survival, and the selfish do not survive. And I wonder about the same for our world in these times. This past Friday saw a new single-day record for coronavirus cases since reopening the state of Florida. And we live in the aftermath of the senseless killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. We witness violence against peaceful protesters at the hands of our government. And we begin to wonder if the very fabric of our nation is being torn asunder. We can, and must, learn new ways of being community for one another. Perhaps today we are reminded of the value of community and support for one another. Perhaps today we are called to rise above the conflict all around and recommit to live in ways that build one another up. Perhaps today is the day when we commit to live in peace, and with equality for all. So perhaps a kiss is not “just a kiss.” Perhaps it’s a new beginning. [5] .
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