us and them

I believe we all have a sense of us and them, and interact out of our feelings of us and them.  And we have all been guilty at some point of helping define who is us, and who is them--a definition that will change depending on who we are with, and how we are trying to avoid being the "them".

But I'm sure we have all experienced being the "them"...the ones left out, not included, unwanted, separated from.  And some of us, we will do anything to be an us again.  Anything, even if it means not being the "them" we are associated with.

us, them
them, us
a world divided
but he came for the lost ones,
the lost sheep
the "them's"
because the "us" already had it figured out
what it meant to be in, what it meant to be out
they had already defined who the "us" were
leaving all the others to be the "them"
but he came into this chaos
he showed another way to define all the "us and them's"
he extended the invitation
first to the "us"

the great wedding feast
many guests were invited, and when the banquet was ready, <the king> sent his servants to notify everyone that it was time to come.  But they all refused!  So he sent other servants to tell them, "The feast has been prepared, and choice meats have been cooked.  Everything is ready.  Hurry!" But the guests he had invited ignored them and went about their business, one to his farm, another to his store.  Others seized his messengers and treated them shamefully, even killing some of them."

sometimes the "us" we are trying to be
are too busy with the things that we are identifying ourselves with.
we miss the chance to become the greater "us"

but the king did not cancel his feast.
and he said to his servants, "The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren't worthy of the honor.  Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see."

the street corners????  was the king crazy?  had he lost his mind?  he was going to invite "them" to come eat a feast that was set out for the chosen guests?  shouldn't we just reschedule for when they are free?

but did the king already know how the story would end up?  how the table would turn?  if anything, it seems the king was angry.  (come on king, what's the big deal?!)

"The king became furious.  He sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their city. And he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren't worthy of honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.'"

us, them
The chosen ones, the ones on the king's list did not come.
them, us
But the ones who had not been chosen became the chosen guests
--the ones the King wanted around his table

but the servants went out and "brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests."

oh to be a part of that feast!
to see their faces--"Hey, we got invited to the King's feast! And all these years we were told we weren't welcome to come!  All these years we were told that we were not good enough!
But look, we are around His table!  We are eating foods fit for friends of the King!"

"them" became "us"
a table that welcomes all
a table where status falls away
nothing divides
we pass the food and our hands touch
we are all hungry as we gather around the table
hungry souls
We join together
around the table
and our eyes are opened
to the mystery of oneness
where we no longer decide who is us and them

and when we have feasted at this table
we are changed
we leave humbled
there is no division
no us and them
around his table

(story of the great feast from matthew 22)