The dictionary describes The communion of saints as the ' spiritual fellowship existing among all faithful Christians, both living and the dead '. ( Dictionary.com )
I experienced the ' communion of saints in a very special way on board the MV Ocean Prometheus. The ship is a regular visitor to Westshore Terminals, hauling coal to South Korea and I have written previous blogs about this ship. The crew was happy to see me as was I to see them. There are always new crew members when she comes in port and this time there was a new cook on board. We talked for a while and then he asked me if I was a Christian. Excitedly I said, "Yes!" When he asked if I could give him a Bible in the Myanmar language I promised him that I would get him one. He told me that there were two other Christians on board who also would like to have a Bible.
The next day I met the other two crew members as well. They were very happy to receive Bibles in their own language. What makes it even more interesting is that although they're all from the same country, representing 3 different denominations namely; Roman Catholic, Baptist and Presbyterian - they all want to study the Bible together! A real life example of ' the communion of the saints' aboard the MV Ocean Prometheus.
But what is the definition of a ' saint'? You may be surprised that it is not a person of great holiness, virtue or benevolence - recognized as such by the Christian Church. Let me give you the biblical answer. ' Saints refer to holy people - holy, however, not primarily in the moral sense but in the sense of being specially
marked out as God's people. The apostle Paul begins his letters with a greeting that includes the word
' saints '. In such statements, Paul includes all believers in Christ. The saints are God's possession. It is in and through Jesus Christ that God has made them ' saints '.
I left the three ' saints ' behind. I hope to see them in the near future and experience again ' communion of the saints ' on board the MV Ocean Prometheus.
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| The crew member on the left looks a bit sleepy. He had to be woken up for the picture taking! |
