Summary

The word all underlines that in Christ’s church, everyone belongs. We are brothers and sisters; together we are children of God the Father. That spiritual connection is expressed in the holy kiss. The writers of this letter thus exhort each member of the church to be close to one another and to accept each other with love (see also Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; and especially 1 Peter 5:14).

In the early church, the gesture of the holy kiss took place in the liturgy. They greeted each other with a kiss after finishing the prayer and before the distribution of the bread and cup at the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Although shapes can change over time, the thinking behind this is also of great significance today. Within Christ’s congregation, we are given to each other. This should be visible and tangible within the church.