What's a Word to Do? (Communion)

Keep in mind I am no language expert but I have been poking around with the etymology of the word "communion."  One the biggest issues with translation is that thoughts can't necessarily be easily converted to one language from another.  I think that people who advocate word-for-word translations get lost in trying to find the "Truth" and generally miss the underlying significance of what they are reading.  Of course, conversely, when you translate something thought for thought you tend to get the bias of the translator.  It really makes translating the Bible a slippery slope.

The best scholarly scenario for us would be to learn all of the ancient languages, intimately, that the Bible is written in and try to read from the earliest texts we can.  I don't know about you, but the chances of me accomplishing that feat is nearly nil and even if I did I am learning dead languages through a lens of modern research and I could never hope to fully understand the original idioms that make a language what it is.  Instead I enjoy picking apart certain words from time to time and trying to understand their full context.

COMMUNION

1. an act or instance of sharing
2. (capitalized) : a Christian sacrament in which consecrated bread and wine are consumed as memorials of Christ's death or as symbols for the realization of a spiritual union between Christ and communicant or as the body and blood of Christ
3. the act of receiving Communion
4. (capitalized) the part of a Communion service in which the sacrament is received intimate fellowship or rapport : communication
5. a body of Christians having a common faith and discipline *the Anglican communion*

Four out of the five of the definitions on Merriam-Webster regard Christ in some form.  That is, to an extent, my point in all of this.  That isn't the origin of the word.  The origin, also from Merriam-Webster is this:

Middle English, from Latin communion-, communio mutual participation, from communisFirst Known Use: 14th century

We can also find this from the Online Etymology Dictionary which lists the venerable Oxford Dictionary as a primary source:

late 14c., from O.Fr. comunion "community, communion" (12c.), from L. communionem (nom. communio) "fellowship, mutual participation, a sharing," used in L.L. ecclesiastical language for "participation in the sacrament," from communis (see common). Used by Augustine, in belief that the word was derived from com- "with, together" + unus "oneness, union."

Mutual "participation", "sharing", "common?"  Are these the words you tend to think of when you hear the word communion?  How about Koinonia, a Greek word?

1: fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, intercourse      A: the share which one has in anything, participation      B: intercourse, fellowship, intimacy         1: the right hand as a sign and pledge of fellowship (in fulfilling the apostolic    office)      C: a gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution, as exhibiting an embodiment and proof of fellowship

Now given that the Greek New Testament has something like 20 instances of this word which roots to basically the same thing, it gives you the impression that our Communion should be something larger and smaller, all at the same time.  It isn't just an act, but an invitation to to be in the presence of God but it also more worldly than that.  Communion should be our time to fellowship with our brothers and sisters of Christ.  It is our time to invite the Lord into our presence so that he can be with us while we are with each other.  Give this some thought, take it to your small groups and encourage others to try and expand their joy with being together.  God Bless!

I Finally Caught Him

   Do any of you remember this scene from Loony Tunes?  After a series of running through pipes that shrunk both the Road Runner and Wile E Coyote and then made the Road Runner full size again we get blessed with this.  How many of you, at least those who weren't born and raised with faith, feel this way now? I know that I do.  For the first time in my life I have this powerful guiding force and purpose but where do I go from here?  I've accepted Christ, I've found God and yet I'm overwhelmed with the opportunities that it has opened for me.  I know that I was given this gift to write and I'm supposed to use it.  However, I also know that I am called to college age people who are lost.  One of these days I'll find a good way to reach out to them but for the time being I will do what I can with those that I know.  Maybe that is God's way to practice for what is to come!  I want you all to sit and think, maybe just for five minutes, about God's calling for you.  What can you do to help bring light into the darkness and give the gift of God's grace to other people.  Pray, meditate, then let God speak and guide you to the next step of your journey.  Remember, kindness and compassion, that will speak more to people that preaching and condemnation.  Good luck!

Who Can Shepherd, When it is We Who Are the Lost Sheep?

   Today I had the opportunity to experience a sermon that affect other people more than it did me.  The message was simple, but it is kind of hard to restate.  For me, it was about understanding your gifts and giving them to God.  For others, it was obviously far more than that.  What it did say to me, however, is that my gift is my ministry here and I don't think I've always given it the attention and the grace it needs.
   It is hard, especially in the this day and age, to see the silver lining in everything.  That is one of the things that I fail at most of all.  If I don't watch myself I end up very pessimistic, to the point where I start alienating people.  The news is full of examples of Christians with influence that are doing as much, if not more, harm than good.  Of course, that is just another symptom of our lost and corrupt news media, but it is still enough to taint my perception of my faith.  How do we fix it?  I honestly don't know for sure.  I suppose being conscious of what we do and striving to walk in the tolerance and grace filled footsteps of our Savior.  Thank you to everyone who is still with me despite my failings and thank you to everyone who sticks with in the future, even though I will fail and fail again.  The only advice I have for you today is go out and be kind to others.  Make relationships with people that are so healthy and gentle to make other people jealous.  Show the world through your actions what it really means to follow Christ.

Calling all!

   Hey everyone!  I am sorry it has been over a month since I last posted on here but a new addition to the family can do that to you.  I've had some people tell me, lately, that they are looking for a post so I will try and get this wagon rolling again!

   I try to keep up on the debates and going on in the Christian community so I have more to write about and I see a lot of people using the Bible as a weapon.  To me this just feels wrong.  When I read the Scripture God I learn something from it.  Lessons on how to live, how to love, how to be a better father, how to be a better husband and so on.  Yes, I read the passages where certain groups of people are marginalized but they tend to not stick with me.  In 1 John 4:7-8 (NIV) we read Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. Those are the passages that strike me. When I was called to God I knew that I was destined to connect with people who find the barrier to the church insurmountable. I was brought to faith to bring people in who are hopelessly lost but in doing so I have pushed up against a wall of conservatism that criticizes me. I am aware my soul is in jeopardy because I have chosen to dine with the "sinners and tax collectors" but if I am truly to walk in the footsteps of the savior isn't that what I must do? I welcome anyone to come talk to me. Come to church with me. Experience God's love with me. Everyone sins, including me, but that shouldn't preclude us from the Church. Once you get there then it is up to you to struggle with your sins. They are between you and God. We are all here to give advice but we are all flawed. Our minds can't grasp the wholeness of our Lord and therefore only you can ask him if the path you are on is correct. I invite you to come with me and see that not all Churches are like the ones that have hurt you in the past. You might be surprised what you find.

The Real Truth

 

 Oh Biblical inerrancy, how you have distorted your followers.  The Church has reveled in ignorance for far too long.  I have seen attacks on intellectuals and those who are educated, and it is a shame.  Let's face it, not everything in the Bible is accurate.  I'm sorry but it is true.  The world isn't 6,000 years old.  There was never a flood that wiped out mankind.  Those are myths that are taken from other cultures and even earlier religions.  The flood, for example was in The Tale of Gilgamesh which dates to somewhere around the 10th to the 13th century BC which would make it roughly contemporary to the likely time of Moses.  It stands to reason that things change and translations become lost.  When we take the Bible as a literal tool we start to lose sight of what it actually says.  It is kind of a "can't see the forest for the trees" mentality.  Somewhere we have lost sight of the message of love and acceptance in this quest for righteousness.  I suppose it is to be expected since it deals with some of our most prime emotions, but the Bible is all about transcending those emotions, not letting them rule you.  I have been in an embroiled debate lately about Jesus and whether or not he could have sinned. It is obvious that he sinned against the Jewish leadership of the time, hence the crucifixion, but did he commit what we now would call a sin?  I think we tend to forget that Christ wasn't a Christian.  I know it is hard to really accept that for some people.  Jesus, or Yeshua, was a Jew.  He taught a simpler form of Judaism that was taught by the Jewish Elite at that time.  Much like Martin Luther, he didn't want to form a new faith, he wanted to fix the one that was already there!  Unfortunately, sometimes things have to be changed to be fixed.  Christianity is a result of that as was the Protestant Reformation.  My very faith and spiritual inspiration has been questioned, yet who is doing the questioning?  Is this just a temptation?  There are many adversaries in our life.  Some would say that the Enemy puts those blocks in front of us, and maybe that is true.  I do feel that there are very nasty spirits that influence people.  I hope that I am not influenced in my writings but when I write I feel these words come through me from God.  I am being told to question my faith, being told that it is wrong, and who does that?  Not God.

The Dawn

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace
Numbers 6:24-26 from NIV

No insights today, no lectures... However, my newest baby girl was born at 8:02am this morning happy and healthy.  Her mother had a very easy labor and is also doing fine.  Today I just wanted to celebrate Tabitha Rose and the beginning of her new journey!  God bless her little soul!  Just a warning, posts might be a little eratic for a couple of weeks! 

The Random Verse

   Have you ever grabbed your Bible and just let it fall open and read what comes up?  I find it a really interesting exercise that might lead you to verses that you normally wouldn't be interested in.  That is just what I did today which a couple of sections and I thought I would craft a post out of what I read.

   The first verse that really caught my eye was Psalms 5:5:

The arrogant cannot stand in your presence;

you hate all those who do wrong. (NIV)

   I've spent a lot of time writing lately about intolerance and how I feel it is a travesty.  Not surprisingly this verse popped out at me because it really encapsulates how I feel about the whole thing.  I see a lot of press reports about absolute intolerance in today's society and to be honest, it is a continuation of past crimes.  How about a pastor that wants to put gay people in an electrified pen and allowed to die off?  I don't know about you, but that bloody reeks of arrogance to me.  It is also a gross violation of many of the values I have tried to emphasize on here.  God hates all those who do wrong.  Even if you believe homosexuality is a sin, you aren't going to manage to get into heaven by treating it with another sin.  Yes, I know the verses in Leviticus and Romans, but here is a hint, if you would drop the arrogant hate filled act you would realize those verses and their meanings are debated (okay, maybe not Leviticus but the Law isn't upheld anymore by most faiths).  If the truth behind them were absolute then their wouldn't be this debate in the first place.  I don't speak for God, though I feel the Spirit speaks through me.  However, I don't see the same God saying, "starve gay people to death," who also said, "love your neighbor as yourself."  People like Charles L. Worley are why people are turning away from God and Christ and if you are driving people from Grace then how much more of a sinner could you be?  Open your eyes people!  Hate fueled by fear is not going to guide you down the narrow path to heaven.