Communition... an Idea but not a word.

This past Sunday, we celebrated Communion at church.  Over the past few years, Communion, or the Lord’s Table as we sometimes call it, has taken on a wholly new meaning in my life.  I find that Dr. NT Wright expresses one aspect of of communion so well when he said:

“The Eucharist is not just about “me and my salvation.” It is a necessity, a part of what enables us to be God’s new creation people. We taste the new creation on our tongues, in our lips, in our mouths, in our bodies, so that we can go out and do the kind of work in the world that helps bring in the kingdom, God’s new creation.” See here.

This sets the idea of only an individual symbolic act on its edge and challenges us to reflect on the real presence of God in the life of the church.  We tend to view communion as an individual act, but we were told to do it as a gathered people.  We shouldn’t lose the idea of communion being something more than thanks just about me and God.  It is perhaps something that I shouldn’t hold too tightly as individualistic.  Instead, it is something we celebrate as a community of believers gathered together.  In that context, to reduce it down to an individual act seems inconsistent with its institution and the Pauline references/directives.  We need to recapture the idea of Communion as a communal act whereby we gather to worship God in the act of yesterday and promises of tomorrow through our eating and drinking together in the now.


So, I am going to coin a new word, not for usage but for its idea.  That word is an amalgamation of the Body of Christ (the Church) and the body and blood of His gift to us -- communition...  Let's join together in celebrating His grace.