It can be hard to communicate with another person even if you’re speaking the same language. A husband to his wife, a teacher to his students, a friend to a struggling friend, a Republican to a news reporter. We don’t always have the same definition of a word in mind, we don’t always want to do the work of patiently trying to share the idea, to give or to receive. Communication requires a kind of discipline.
But what is more intimate than husband and wife on the same page, and what is more satisfying than successfully loving a class into loving to learn the lesson, and how great the comfort are the consolations of a friend, and even Republicans want some good press if possible. There are sweet fruits to be shared.
The bread and the wine at the Lord’s Supper are shared by believers. We call it communion. The old word Greek word is koinonia, a fellowship, a participation, a sharing.
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation (koinonia) in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is that not a participation (koinonia) in body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16)
One kind of church discipline is a prohibition from sharing, there is another kind of work, sacrifice, effort, we could call it a discipline, that is a practice of sharing.
I was playing around in my mind with the words communionicating, communionication. We are receiving, we are giving, we are saying something without words, it is love shared, to and from, and with the Head to and throughout His Body.