“Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction … Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Psalm 2:12).
A kiss is an intimate thing. I kiss my wife, and not many others except my mom and granddaughters who get hugs and kisses on the cheek.
I kissed my dad’s forehead during his final days of life, discomforted and confused by dementia.
I’ve seen people kiss things like championship trophies or big paychecks.
A kiss says that someone (or something) is very special. That everything else going on in the world cannot interrupt that moment, and the importance of the relationship.
God invites you to kiss his Son Jesus. God is saying that his son Jesus is ready for an important relationship with you. Willing. Eager, even. He wants to look in your eyes, and you to look in his, and for you to know that everything going on the world cannot interrupt what he can do for you.
Jesus will not fail you, no matter how out of control our country has become, how much dissension divides us, and how many opinions exist about who is to blame.
Yes, kiss him. Jesus is the supreme ruler of all, the creator of the heavens and earth, the King of the universe, but still you can and should kiss him. If not, if anyone chooses their own way that turns away from him, then they will fail.
Jesus is so close. He’s in this. He’s in the election process mayhem. He’s in your home and your heart. He’s here in this country. So close, you can kiss him. So caring, you can kiss him. So concerned about our country and your interest in it, you can kiss him while everything else going on around you is in chaos.
The women who came to Jesus’ tomb on Easter Sunday morning thought he was dead, but he had risen. Then he appeared to them in his glory as victor over death, sin and all evil. It had to be awesome! What did the women do?
They fell down before him and grabbed onto him. To caress the feet that had been nailed to the cross and now walked out of the tomb. To kiss those feet. Honor them. Trust in them. Follow them. See Matthew chapter 28.
Jesus is that close. To you.
Regardless of the election outcome, don’t let Jesus go. Because he’s close, and wants you to be close.
Regardless of who is president, you can offer your national allegiance with a higher allegiance to the true King.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, the distance between people and our interests and dreams seems so far away, creating such division. When dissension rules and riots erupt, you are there with me. So close. My King. Rule my heart even as you rule this land and the entire universe. With your peace, help me to be a better peacemaker. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: One more thing about kissing Jesus. Besides the women at the tomb, two other people kissed Jesus as reported in the gospels. The sinful woman, who most believe was a prostitute, kissed Jesus’ feet and poured expensive perfume on them (Luke 7). And in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss—a familiar form of greeting in that culture and time—but for Jesus it was the kiss of death (Luke 22). What do these two kisses have in common, as Jesus comes close to both people?
