“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11)
The Basket Case Chronicles #201
“I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such” (1 Cor. 16:17–18).
Paul rejoiced over the arrival of three emissaries from the Corinthian church. They filled in for the absence of the Corinthians, and they filled up what was lacking from the Corinthians. This may have included a financial gift, but in any case the three men provided a covenantal synecdoche—a part for the whole. Three men stood in for the whole church. Paul’s fellowship with them was sweet, and Paul noted that they had been refreshing on both ends of their journey. They had refreshed Paul’s spirit upon arriving, and they had refreshed the spirits of the Corinthians before departing. Such men should be recognized and noted. Men who have that gift are obvious, but it is still tragically easy to miss them.
‘Synecdoche’ a word I will have to look up every time it is used.
We need a word for words like that. Unlike the failed ‘palindrome’ which is not itself a palindrome the word describing words that must be looked up every time must itself be a word that must be looked up every time.
I think English teachers would be pleased with the sadistic properties of this word.
Was trying to make a joke about Schenectady but someone beat me to it.
Just don’t confuse it with metonymy, Timothy, or this former English teacher will point it out in enraged iambic pentameter.
fwiw, I had to look it up. (:
My first impression was the ‘beat of a metronome’ so, logically thinking about all things entomological, metonymy is obviously prose with a beat.
Is it easy to miss such men because we’ve erected systems that exclude them?
At the PCA I attend, folks like this are NOT ALLOWED to take any ad hoc roles, unless they’ve first been processed through the winnows of “official membership” then some secondary sort of ordination.
My, you’d never hope for, let alone expect that the riff-raff would bring a psalm or spiritual song to the worship assembly — all that must come down from the System first.
I’m not advocating elderless control.
Rather we need again elders who, like Paul here, encourage meaningful participation at all levels.