Greet each other with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. [1 Peter 5:14 (GW)]

These were Peter’s words to the early Christians who were suffering for their faith. I’m not sure what would happen to us today if we greeted everyone we met with a kiss, even if we only did it at church. No matter how chaste the kiss might be, it would probably result in slapped faces, harassment lawsuits, or irate spouses. As followers of Christ, we don’t have to kiss everyone we meet, but we do have to greet them all with Christian love. That means we greet everyone with a tolerant, forgiving and loving heart.

Above all, love each other warmly, because love covers many sins. [1 Peter 4:8 (GW)]