Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13
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If I had to take a guess at what the most famous kiss ever might be, I would have to say the V-J Day kiss captured by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt and published all over the world on the cover of Life magazine. I think nearly everybody in at least North America and Europe has seen this picture of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square after hearing that World War II had come to and end. It was a very joyous day for those sailors and nurses for their ship was to leave that afternoon for the Pacific. When the news of the war’s end came out, a spontaneous flood of about 10,000 sailors descended upon Times Square and the kissing commenced. The goal was to kiss as many people as you could.
The photograph of the V-J Day kiss is very important in Modern history. It seemed to capture the joy of many peoples world over who were tired of war, of destruction, fear, and death. It apparently also signified that there would be a future for it was that generation of people who gave birth to the Baby Boomers. The war was over and there was to commence a new age of rebuilding. I would not be exaggerating to say that the people who lived in the joy of that kiss built the world as we know it. For them, community took precedence over individuality. The horrors of war had taught “we” is more important than “me”. That kiss symbolized the joy of their hope fulfilled of the war coming to an end. The victory had been won in a far away land. The soldiers would soon be returning from that far away land and life would begin anew. It is this joy of a hope fulfilled that this photograph of a kiss proclaimed all over the world.
The first generation of Christians felt a similar joy, I believe. God had finally made a word of hope that he had spoken hundreds of years prior come to pass. No longer would they be waiting for the time of “in those days” for those days were now upon them. This Sprout of David had risen up and brought justice and righteousness to the land. The Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, had come and made manifest the Kingdom of God. He was put to death but God raised him from the dead. As Jesus of Nazareth God had defeated sin and death but it was as if it were a victory in a land far away. They would have to wait for Jesus to return for the full impact of the victory to be felt. Until that day, the word of this victory was to go throughout the world accompanied by God’s abiding kiss, the Holy Spirit, who would rest in and upon God’s people, awakening faith, hope, and love among people wherever this Good News was proclaimed.
The immediate effect of this kiss, the gift of the Holy Spirit, was that those who received it suddenly found their regrets and shame no longer mattered for God himself had kissed them with his very presence. They suddenly felt free to live yet with gratitude and deeply desiring to live a life pleasing to God. The war of life was over. Jesus had won the victory and he would soon be returning from a far-off land to set his kingdom in place. Until that day this abiding kiss from God, the Holy Spirit, inspired them to come together and share their lives and love one another as if the day of Jesus’ return was upon them. Love for another and for all people was beginning to increase and abound among them.
Life would not be easy for those who knew the victory had been won. For the victory had been won, as I said, in a land far away and the enemy, sin and death, was still in their midst refusing to surrender. Many of those first Christians died horrible deaths for believing the Good News and living according to it. Because they knew God and knew the fellowship that arose from the presence of the Holy Spirit in their midst, they would not participate in the idolatrous, drunken orgy that characterized Roman society. Rather, they withdrew to share their own worship-feasts. People took note of this and were offended by it. So, they spread the rumor Christians were a secret society of cannibals fostering treason. This led to persecution often breaking out against the Church. Yet, they knew Christ Jesus would be returning because he had come in the first place just as God had said he would through his prophets and he had sent his Spirit. God keeps his word. What God says comes about. Jesus is coming back.
Now that’s talking about things down the road. What about now? How do we now live? We like the early church live now in “those days”. Like the sailors and nurses in Times Square on V-J Day heard the good news that the victory has been won in a far away land and the soldiers will be coming back, we have heard the Good News, that Jesus has won the victory over sin, evil, and death and will soon be coming back. We have been kissed by God with the gift of the Holy Spirit and know that he is with us and that he keeps his word and does work all things to the good for those who love him. Therefore, we have a hope that the war of life will have an awesome ending – resurrection and New Creation. A real hope not just a wish for God has said this is the way it will be.
But, as in the early church, the enemy is still in our land and will be until the LORD returns. Therefore, we must persevere and live as those who have hope, a hope that does not disappoint because God has poured his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, a hope that is built on our each having personal knowledge that God is faithful and keeps his word. We learn faith and hope by experiencing God’s faithfulness to us. We’ve all had experiences when we knew God in love was being faithful to us. If not, we wouldn’t be here right now. We would be one of those who today have no faith or are done with the faith. Knowing God’s faithfulness has changed the way we look at life. God has taught us hope. We know that we can always trust God’s faithfulness and steadfast love. God will keep his word.
As a people of hope we must live our lives according to the values of the coming Kingdom of God rather than the values of this world. We must love one another and all peoples the way that we have been loved. This we must do as a testimony to the truth. In our midst is a Christian community that gives testimony to God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. Among us is the New Jerusalem and our name is certainly, “The Lord is our righteousness.” Go forth and be the kiss of fulfilled hope. Amen.
