Communion, Community, Common Unity

A short reflection on Psalm 133

   How very good and pleasant it is when sisters  and brothers live together in unity!

   It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard,

   on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.

   It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion.

   For there the LORD ordained his blessing, life for evermore.

Let’s get together, yeah! yeah!, yeah!

Goes a pedestrian song of the 60s

This, strangely,  could be the theme for the Christian Church

Indeed it is at the heart of the Gospel

(and indeed other religions too!)

With God

So week by week we share in a sacrament called Holy Communion.

This is the outward and visible sign

that we are getting together with God.

So during Easter we are praying

Become what you receive

The Body of Christ

United with the Risen Christ

so that we are a means of his continuing presence in the world

Do you feel as though you are

a Real Presence of Christ to the world?

If not…this is why we are making this prayer and setting this goal for Easter

With each other

This lovely little Psalm (133)

talks about what happens

when we strive to live in unity with each other

It’s a great source of blessing

to ourselves,

to our sisters and brothers

to our world

he uses some luxurious imagery

It’s like a great spiritual anointing

like oil pouring down over the head and overflowing over your beard, your clothes and your whole body.

It’s like the dew on the grass

the luxurious green of the fields

and the beauty of the mountains.

We may, of course,  need to work on this

We may need to try and be open to other people

to exercise forgiveness and kindness

and to engage in community building.

Can you think of one thing you can do this week to strengthen the unity you have with someone

or perhaps to repair a break in the wall.

With the world

I think this is a message we long to hear as people.

That we are not just isolated boxes

we are inextricably linked to each other.

The Psalm is reminding us that this is how God’s blessing is poured on us, and the whole world

Things to think about and do this week

As we think about community 

we naturally reflect on the collections of groups and individuals to which we belong:

Family, work, neighbours, school, interest groups are some that spring to mind.

This week pick one of the communities to which you belong and think and pray about it by just holding the names of members before God for a few moments.

You could work through one group, or do a different group each day.

We are also broken. 

Strangely thinking about Community, Communion, and our common Unity also highlights where this might be absent.

Is there one place I could do some repair work this week…in a relationship, in a situation, in a family, at work…?