Us versus Them

There has been two kinds of experiences that I've had with others from with in the Body of Christ, this community of believers - some might even call it "the church". Sometimes I get this vibe from people that not a thing could separate us, despite the differences in our pasts or where we come from or anything superficial like that. But then sometimes, I get this feeling in my stomach that its an "us versus them" game we're in. Its as if there were some kind of match going on and we're match-point, one away from winning this set and so the serve becomes aggressive. These places honestly scare me. It seems as if we're too often aiming at our brothers and sisters in Christ and trying to distinguish an "us" and "them" so that we can separate ourselves from "them" and build up ourselves.

I think we may be missing the point. But the thing is, there is no "us".

We are called out into the world. We must eat with the poor and hungry, we must walk with the immigrant wanderer, we must struggle with the addict, and associate ourselves with those of us who are alone: the widows who have no lovers, the orphans who have no fathers and the strangers who have no friends. Our efforts must undergo the same radical transformation that our paradigm has. There is no “us versus them” because its not about us and what we do. It turns out that there is only them. To be with them is what it means to be the church.