Pucker Up!

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year. There'll be much mistletoeing and hearts will be glowing when loved ones are near. It's the most wonderful time of the year.”

Mistletoe is known as the healing plant. It blooms in trees during winter. It was used by ancient Celts during their winter solstice celebrations. In the 1700’s, mistletoe was hung in doorways during the holiday season. Young women standing under the mistletoe could not refuse to give a kiss. If a woman refused, she faced supposed bad luck for the upcoming year. Kisses under the mistletoe were said to increase a single lady’s chance of marriage. According to folklore, after each kiss a berry was removed from the plant.

Some form of kissing appears in most cultures. Kissing is one of life’s sweetest pleasures. Kissing is believed to reduce blood pressure, relieve headaches, fight cavities, release happy hormones, boost self-esteem, and tone facial muscles.

Kissing is talked about in the Bible. Psalm 2:12 says that we are to kiss Jesus. Scripture tells us in 1 Peter 5:14 that we are to greet one another with a kiss of love. Loving Jesus and loving people is what Christmas is about.

What does kissing Jesus mean? It means that we love and embrace Him. Kissing others also includes the same idea. People should greet each other with warmth, concern, and kindness.

Philippians 2:2-10 guides us in how to embrace Christ and others:

So, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

1. Embracing Jesus – We embrace or kiss Jesus by acknowledging that He is the Son of God sent to the world to rescue and help us. He came as a servant and followed God’s instructions even to the point of death on the cross.

2. Embracing Others – We embrace or kiss others through words of encouragement, expressions of comfort, displays of affection, voicing sympathy, keeping love foremost, and walking in harmony. We also display love through acts of humility and recognition of the needs others might be facing.

Merry Christmas and pucker up!