Romantic And Religious Kisses Series

The story is told, and it could very well be true, of a Danish

couple who decided to break off their engagement. "It is best

I suppose that we give back each others letters," he said. She

agreed, and replied, "We should at the same time return

each others kisses." By the time they had finished their

exchange, they agreed to renew their engagement. There is

something about a kiss that does more than merely bring

about a union of the lips. It has the power to also bring

about the union of lives. Kissing is a matter of the spirit as

well as of the body, and that is why kissing is never to be

taken lightly. Treating the kiss as a minor matter has led

many into relationships where they very carelessly tamper

with the deep inner being of others.

The Italians say, "A kiss is like a grain of dust which anyone

who would be rid of it can wash away." The Germans

looking deeper respond, "A kiss may indeed be washed

away, but the fire in the heart cannot be quenched." Kissing

is so directly linked with love that to engage in it without

love is certain to open the door to lust. A kiss awakened

Sleeping Beauty, and it can awaken sleeping lust in anyone.

There are many different kinds of kisses, and we will be

looking at the most significant of them. The true romantic

kiss is to be reserved for that one you desire to one with you

on all levels.

What is a kiss? Why it is this,

It is the cement, it is the glue

Of love that makes me one with you.

There are all kinds of definitions of a kiss. Scientifically it is

the ovicular juxtaposition of the oral protrusion of the outer

cavity. From the negative view, it is the mutual interchange

of salivary bacteria. More romantic is the view that a kiss is

a secret told to the mouth instead of the ear. More

passionate is the definition of Paul Verlaine who defines the

kiss, "As the fiery accompaniment on the key board of the

teeth of the lovely songs which love sings in a burning

heart." However you look at it, one thing is sure, kissing is a

pleasant reminder that two heads are better than one.

The Song of Songs begins with the problem of a deep desire

for kissing, but only one head. The Shulamite girl longs for

the kisses of her lover, but she is separated from him. The

Song does not begin calmly and build to a climax, but it

begins with a burst of passionate frustrated love. "O that

you would kiss me with the kisses of your mouth!" When

people have been separated for a long time, and then

reunited, the first thing they do is kiss. Lovers often take the

kiss for granted until they are separated, and then they

realize how much they long to embrace and kiss the object of

their love. The Shulamite can think of nothing better than

the kisses of her lover. She dearly misses her lovers kisses.

With kisses of his mouth, said she,

Let him, now reconciled, kiss me.

Thy love, said she, when it is mine,

Is better than the choicest wine.

Anyone who has ever been separated from a loved one can

enter into the intense craving of this young girl, but the

question is, what is the spiritual significance of her longing?

There is a direct parallel to this romantic longing in the

realm of the spirit. Many times the believer's soul feels

separated from God, and longs for the good old days of close

and loving communion. We sing, everyday with Jesus is

sweeter than the day before, but in reality we know this is

not so. Many days we can look back and long to return to a

former day when our loves seemed sweeter and stronger, and

when we sense the presence of Christ more intimately in our

lives.

From a spiritual perspective this Song begins with an intense

need for the lover of our souls to draw near, and give

satisfaction to the longings of our heart. It is a lovers cry

which reveals a desperate need to be loved. It is appropriate

that this opening cry for love should come from the girl.

Studies indicated that women feel the need to be loved more

than men. Spiritually it is fitting as well, for the church, the

Bride of Christ, feels the need for love more than does

Christ. He is self-sufficient, and does not feel the loneliness

or the hunger for love that we do as believers.

Believer's, like this lonely shepherd girl, cannot be happy and

satisfied until they experience the kiss of the Shepherd.