‘Would a kiss help?’
The dignified Head Mistress looked down on
the small miscreant gazing hopefully up at her. Having told him in no uncertain
tones that she was grieved – yes grieved to see him yet again standing outside
his classroom door, I can imagine how completely disarmed she must have been by
his innocent offer of a kiss.
Poor Thomas. I don’t remember his name so
we’ll call him that, though he certainly was not a doubter. After his early
years of being pushed from pillar to post in foster care, he was at last secure
and treasured in a loving family and taught of one, Jesus, who loved and
treasured him too.
Life was so exciting and he did so want to
please his teacher, but somehow the more he tried the more he seemed to get
things wrong.
I never heard the end of this story, but I
do know what my answer would have been, for yes, a kiss (or a hug – a cwtch as
we say in Wales) does help.
When my husband died I struggled with the
tears. He had always been there, if I felt sad or hurt, to pray for me yes, but
his hugs had been the best part. So now I would just tell the Lord, ‘Lord, I
need a hug.’ God did not come down from heaven to answer my prayer. One day it
was a little girl who, recognising me from my school visit, gave me a lovely
hug, right around my knees. Another day it was the lady who worked in the
Visitor’s Centre. And then there is my lovely ‘Scrabble’ friend who, seeing the
tears threatening to spill from my eyes, called me aside. ‘Come here,’ she
said, and wrapped me in a bear hug.
Often I would tell people, ‘Do you know
that hugs come from Heaven?’ and would go on to explain, ‘I told God I needed a
hug, and he sent it through you.’ I rarely have to ask God these days, but he
still sends me hugs, and I love to pass on his hugs to others – all from
heaven.
I remember my husband preaching on God’s kiss,
and over the years I have come in some small measure, to understand and so, in
this my New Year’s blog I would share what he has been showing me.
When God created the world, the planets,
the plants and animals, he spoke the word and they came into being. But when he
made Adam, he himself took clay and formed the wonders of a human body, - but
then. Yes, he gave Adam life by breathing into him. You know what we call that?
Yes, God gave mankind the kiss of life.
And when God was made flesh and came and dwelt
among us, as a little child God made himself vulnerable and we were able to
‘Worship the Beloved with a kiss,’ as the carol says.
But God did not only send His Son so that
we might know what he was like, but so that he could die on the cross in our place,
- yes, to cross out all the bad things we have done.
In school, we don’t like to see a cross by
our work. It means it is wrong. But the cross of Jesus, if we will accept its
message, means forgiveness so that from now on we can see the Xs as kisses, for
God sees us now as in Jesus, and we are now the righteousness of Christ.
A kiss does help, doesn’t it? We can run
to God, as a little child, when we get it wrong and straight away God gives us
his kiss of forgiveness. We can run to him when we are bruised or hurting and
he will kiss it better, and when we feel unwanted or unloved, or even full of
joy but have no one to share it with, his arms are always open to us and his
kiss is for us.
‘In his presence is fullness of joy,’
THE KISS
Butterfly gentle caress on the brow of the sleeping child
Father heart strong embrace for the son turned again from the wild
Peace in the place of warfare, Tears kissed
from the sorrowful one
Ardent strength of the lover who knows life is only begun
But what of the kiss of our Maker breathing life in the form he
had made?
And the worshipful kiss of the maiden in whose arms as a babe he
was laid?
The cost of the kiss of our Saviour, crossing out all the wrongs
we have done?
And the bliss of the kiss of our Lord for his Church at the
marriage feast of the Lamb?
