Collective Nouns
Originally scheduled for January 28
If you happen to have a vague fascination with the oddities of
the English language, you are undoubtedly familiar with the concept
of a collective noun. It’s a noun used to label a collection of the
same sort of things, for example:
·
There are some ordinary ones, such as a flock of sheep or herd of
cows or flotilla of boats.
·
Some are more unusual. It is proper to speak of a pride of lions,
and also a murder of crows.
·
There are a few humorous ones to. Kangaroos are said to be in a mob,
and we have the medieval usage of a gossip of women.
Curiously,
there appears to be no agreed-upon word as the collective noun of
for a group of saints. I don’t mean plaster saints with halos; I
mean saints as in those who gather on Sunday morning. I suggest,
therefore, we remedy this lack by designating such a group as a
communion of saints.
·
The word itself is a translation of the Greek word which means
“fellowship.”
· It’s
also fitting in that we have fellowship with each other and also
fellowship with God when we meet.
·
The ritual of communion is the most recognizable sign that a person
is a Christian.
· When
you are taking communion, you are at your most saintly.
That last
deserve some explanation. Most saintly? Yes indeed. Look at it this
way:
· You begin by
examining yourself, to see if there is something that needs to be
fixed in your spiritual life. Only real saint would do that.
·
You follow that by making plans for repentance — you actually plan
to change your spiritual life to make it more like what God wants.
Now that is saintly!
·
After that, you take the bread and the cup, symbolizing his body and
blood, in the most recognizable proclamation of the central doctrine
of the faith. That central doctrine is the atonement, the sacrifice
of Jesus on the cross for the remission of our sins. It is your way
of proclaiming his death, burial and resurrection until He comes
again.
So, put on your most saintly attitude. Examine
yourself and plan your repentance and then prayerfully take the
bread and the cup so that you show the memory of his death, burial
and resurrection. Be a part of this communion of saints.
