What is Koinonia

-

I was in college when a priest I knew started experimenting with this new technology called electronic mail in his ministry. He worked at Christ Church Cathedral, Houston, and he started sending out what he called the "Digital Cathedral" email with a sermon and church announcements. It was cutting edge stuff. 

I knew Fr. Paul from youth retreats I attended and he was a hip, creative priest. It was not surprising that he adopted email as a ministry resource so early. Through that email I felt connected to him and other friends I knew through our Episcopal youth community, even though I lived away from them. It was in one of those emails that I learned one of my first Greek words: Koinonia. 



Koinonia was what Fr. Paul called his High School youth group. They would get together and watch 90210 together (that was a popular television show, from the days when one had to watch such things at scheduled times.) After they watched the show, they would talk about the issues the characters were dealing with, and talk about issues in their own lives.  


I knew the Koinonia word (his email explained was pronounced "coin-oh-knee-uh") had something to do with community. Since then I've learned that it refers to the Holy Community bound together by Holy Spirit in the church. It is a sacred community; a community walking the blessed Way of Jesus. Koinonia is living community that follows the commandment to Love One Another; a community outflowing with generative love beyond the perceived barriers between "us" and "them." 

Many people came out of the pandemic hungry for community. We who spend a good deal of time outdoors found ways to be in community easier than those who live in urban environments, for which I give thanks. Nevertheless, community has been on our collective minds following a time of disconnection.  

I value the Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) I grew up with at my home church and that Canterbury (College Ministry) community of my younger years. While I keep up with some of those individuals, those are no longer what I consider my community. Community is where we are when we are. It is not a thing we remember from the past, it is the people we see right now. It is a relationship with a neighbor. It is showing up to gatherings. 

I will be the first to admit that it seems easier to retreat to the familiar, or pine for what was, than to meet a new person whose story I don't know yet. True Koinonia, Holy Community has permeable edges so that it can be difficult to define who's in and who's out. The Holy Spirit works around the fringes drawing people together, and seeking to bless old and new in the mingling. Like a river, you can never step into the same community twice. It is a living, changing thing. An evangelism teacher once warned me to know the difference between a friendly church, and an insular church of friends. 

As we shift out of the summer hustle, I encourage you (and remind myself) to step into community. If you are part of an established community like a church, notice who is seeking that connection and bring them along. Koinonia is available, but can be inhibited by our stubborn wills. Technologies (newspapers, tv, email, social media, virtual reality) may facilitate the connections, but the personal relationships: knowing the story of the other, is how community is knit together and becomes Koinonia. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

plastic: a spiritual perspective

-
Image
Plastic bag in front of Trinity by the Sea On a recent trip to Austin, I was surprised and delighted not to be handed a plastic bag when I checked out of a grocery store. I wasn't buying much, so I was able to carry out my things without remembering to bring in my reusable bags. For some time now, I've gotten in the habit of turning down plastic bags in convenience stores when they try to put my humble bag of sunflower seeds, lonely, in another bag. The plastic grocery bag has become like a handshake at the end of the deal: it seems to make the shopping experience complete. It is such an ingrained habit, that the person behind the cash register sometimes gets a suspicious look when I ask for no bag, as if thinking, "This yahoo is threatening our way of life!" I think about habits a lot, as a Christian of the Episcopal persuasion. Our practices and our experiences in everyday life shape the way we understand our relationship with God, with others, and with ours...
Read more

Stay Salty Y'all

-
Image
  Sunday, September 29: Be Salty for Jesus! Reflection for church while my back heals.  Welcome everyone to another church on the beach. Fr. James is dealing with his back injury, and sent this reflection to read, so here it goes.  I spent Thursday morning planning for the next two weeks, anticipating that I might need a medical procedure. As I did so, I marveled at how many amazing leaders we have within our church. I was focusing on the worship service, and leading worship on Sundays is a only portion of what we do as a church community, but it is an important part of what we do. It is where we gather together to reorient to God, to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and to listen for inspiration from Jesus. How fitting that we gather on the beach today to hear Jesus remind us to be salty. Do we have it easier, here beside the sea? We can hardly help but be salty around here. I want to start with that, which is where Jesus lands his somewhat meandering messa...
Read more

Falling out of boats

-
Image
Reflection for Morning Prayer July 28, 2024 Trinity by the Sea Some of you may not remember the first time you stepped onto a boat, or more to the point, the first time you fell out of a boat. Most of my falling-out stories are from the San Marcos River misjudging an eddy around a bend, the bow pulled suddenly in the opposite direction from what I expected, then pushed sideways up against a submerged root that gives loft to the bow sending two paddlers into the drink. Fortunately, all of those occasions eventually ended with laughter. Then there are those moments of non-commitment, like standing one foot on a log that had fallen across the river, foot in the canoe, and quickly realizing the mistake. A similar thing can happen on the docks here, at least with smaller boats. Stepping into a boat takes commitment. One foot on land and one in the vessel is a short-lived exercise in balance and stretching beyond the ability of most yogis. Be on land or in the boat, not in both places at o...
Read more