Kuh-myoo-ni-tee

The English language has a marvellous repertoire of word play options. I like word play. And deciphering its meaning.

I think thinking about the words and phrases we use and what they actually say can create surprising insights, funny recognition, and astonishing revelation about ourselves and how we talk. I wonder whether we always know and mean what we say...Want an illustration?

• Well, it applies to whole expressions: “I don’t suppose you could possibly spare a second to assist me with this?” means “Please, I need some help.”

• With single words you might think it’s a bit easier. In church we have:
• marriage = you get married, then you age - or
• holiness = sacred monster - and
• leadership = Paul Maconochie’s new yacht

But it does get trickier with some of our other lingo:

Say, we want to decipher the meaning of the word ‘community’.

• Let’s base this on the assumption that most of us refer to community as a place of belonging and a form of togetherness.
• If you look at the term’s components from its Latin origins, you see it consists of the terms ‘com’ and ‘unity’.Com translates simply into ‘with’, or more profoundly into ‘by means of’. Unity translates into ‘being one’ or ‘one-ness’.
• Putting those two together, you could read the term community as ‘by means of one-ness’ and realize that the word some of us use about a hundred times a week stands for a whole concept of togetherness: community as a place of belonging by way of one-ness.
• Or: We’re community, because we’re one. That sounds kind of nice, doesn’t it? After all, it’s not that difficult to agree that in Jesus we’ve come to be one with the rest of his body, the church, our community (Rom 12).

• Something slightly more interesting happens when we turn this round: If community means ‘with one-ness’, then it must also be true that where there’s no one-ness, there’s no community. Now, I personally find that this hits a little harder than my friendly agreement to some abstract, metaphysical one-ness I share with the rest of you all.
• It hits, because it confirms the sneaky suspicion that the absence of unity might be a painfully real part of my life. One that hinders me from entering into the sense of fellowship and relationship I desire so much. So, from a purely selfish point of view: I think it’s about time I work out the essence and meaning of unity! After all, it might get me better community.

Now, you might think that we can’t just base our understanding of unity on a little word play. That’s right: Let’s come up with some scripture to back up the newly found project pursuit.

Why unity? And...what is it actually?

Here’s for a starter:

• Jesus thought it would help his recognition in the world if his people figured out how to be one like him and his Father (John 17).

To me that sounds like some proper incentive, if effective mission is something we’re after. Besides, doesn’t it just seem clever to put it on our wish list if even Jesus asked for it?

• Then we’ve got Paul who says it would make him happy if the Philippians were like-minded, having the same love and being one in spirit and purpose (Philippians 2).

Now, while making Paul happy might not be the prime motivator of our lives, my guess is, he may just have had a point.

So, I can see this unity theme crop up in our very bible and it confirms that I want to ask a few more questions about it. Hopefully, next time I get to write on here, we’re a bit further on in our appreciation of what? why? and even how? Yeah, that’s right, I do mean we, cause after all, I can’t do unity by myself, can I?

I’d like to ask for some help, then, in asking these questions:

1) What is unity in our contexts? (and is it achieved by drinking tea at uni?)

2) What is its potential?

3) And where in my life can I make a start pursuing it - as of today

Let’s get cracking – by way of asking the Father, I’d say.