Ensign: the communion of saints
All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. Isaiah 18:3
AN ENSIGN ON THE MOUNTAINS. 26 August 2017
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
The third part of the third section of the Apostles' Creed -- the communion of saints -- doesn't just take place on Sunday morning. Or Sunday night, or Wednesday evening, or whenever you attend church. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines communion as "an act or instance of sharing" so in a way it's not even necessarily holy. No, the adjective gets tacked on (as in "Holy Communion, Batman!" :p ) when we're being given the bread and wine representative of the flesh and blood of Jesus the Christ in homage to His own words at passover with His disciples.
Among many Many MANY words; please see John 13-16 for more details.
But it's not the morsels themselves that are holy, it's the blessing of God imparted through whoever administers the bread and wine to us which makes them so. Think of us as lightning rods through whom God's, Jesus Christ's, and the Holy Spirit's charge comes. And I have another little secret to share with you. You ... and ... I ... are ... saints. Unlike most of our Catholic, capital C, fellow believers will admit, being dead is not a prerequisite to sainthood.
Oh, I still have a hard time wrapping my head around that!
But of all the times in Scripture saints are referred to, not once is a reference made to what they did AFTER they died. This is the Bible, not how to survive the zombie apocalypse. Besides, after you're dead there is no time to ask for forgiveness of sins (oh wait, that's next post; I'm getting ahead of myself). So we have the opportunity to be saints in this world for God right now.
And without having stepped foot in New Orleans.
Or even stepped foot in a church, come to think of it. "For when two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Jesus' words in Matthew 18:20 -- often hearkened when seeking agreement in prayer -- go back to Deuteronomy 17:6, when at least two witnesses were required to impose a death sentence.
Sainthood is hardly a requirement for prayer to God either.
But it helps when you do believe in Who you are praying to. And with prayer, do we not impose the opposite -- a sentence of life? Not a life sentence as in a prison term, but a sentence of LIFE! The life Jesus says He came that we might have, and have it more abundantly, in John 10:10. And it's that communion of saints through which we are not only heard in heaven, but also through which the Holy Spirit works in us -- God's work. Our hands. Picture if you will. --
our own communion,
David
AN ENSIGN ON THE MOUNTAINS. 26 August 2017
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
The third part of the third section of the Apostles' Creed -- the communion of saints -- doesn't just take place on Sunday morning. Or Sunday night, or Wednesday evening, or whenever you attend church. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines communion as "an act or instance of sharing" so in a way it's not even necessarily holy. No, the adjective gets tacked on (as in "Holy Communion, Batman!" :p ) when we're being given the bread and wine representative of the flesh and blood of Jesus the Christ in homage to His own words at passover with His disciples.
Among many Many MANY words; please see John 13-16 for more details.
But it's not the morsels themselves that are holy, it's the blessing of God imparted through whoever administers the bread and wine to us which makes them so. Think of us as lightning rods through whom God's, Jesus Christ's, and the Holy Spirit's charge comes. And I have another little secret to share with you. You ... and ... I ... are ... saints. Unlike most of our Catholic, capital C, fellow believers will admit, being dead is not a prerequisite to sainthood.
Oh, I still have a hard time wrapping my head around that!
But of all the times in Scripture saints are referred to, not once is a reference made to what they did AFTER they died. This is the Bible, not how to survive the zombie apocalypse. Besides, after you're dead there is no time to ask for forgiveness of sins (oh wait, that's next post; I'm getting ahead of myself). So we have the opportunity to be saints in this world for God right now.
And without having stepped foot in New Orleans.
Or even stepped foot in a church, come to think of it. "For when two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Jesus' words in Matthew 18:20 -- often hearkened when seeking agreement in prayer -- go back to Deuteronomy 17:6, when at least two witnesses were required to impose a death sentence.
Sainthood is hardly a requirement for prayer to God either.
But it helps when you do believe in Who you are praying to. And with prayer, do we not impose the opposite -- a sentence of life? Not a life sentence as in a prison term, but a sentence of LIFE! The life Jesus says He came that we might have, and have it more abundantly, in John 10:10. And it's that communion of saints through which we are not only heard in heaven, but also through which the Holy Spirit works in us -- God's work. Our hands. Picture if you will. --
our own communion,
David
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