Us against Them or Could it be Us for Them
Guest Writer: Chris Schaefer
“What if we would commit to…opening ourselves to the value we know the others possess as beloved children of God? Maybe our efforts would begin the change that the world desperately needs. Maybe we can become the pebble tossed into the pond that creates ripple after ripple, transforming a destructive Us against Them culture into an Us for Them culture, consistent with the self-denying challenge of our Lord Jesus” The Rev. Ken Kesselus, Bastrop, Texas part of his sermon on Mark 8:27-38 as seen on the episcopaldigitalnetwork.com Sermons that work
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34
She turned to me tears in her eyes and said “They just don’t understand what goes on in my head. They don’t see me!” She is a schizophrenic (by her own admission), homeless young woman that has come into a charity’s thrift shop looking for food. She has been there often before, and the manager of the store has just spoken harshly to her.
The crowd is standing, frozen in place, starring at this forlorn, unstable, dirty woman. Is it “Us against Them” or is this my opportunity to be an “Us for Them”? Can we step out of the “Us” crowd to extend our hands to the “Them”? Yes! Something guides me, and we walk hand in hand out of the store. Through her tears and confusion, she talks of being abandoned by everyone and of her total defeat.
It is her eyes that draw me in, blood shot from lack of sleep and hollow from being lost in a world that steps around her. Nowhere to sleep, nothing to eat, and no medication. With nowhere to turn, her desperation is palatable. Others also step out of the crowd, she is given some food, money and a ride to a shelter and most importantly she felt the extended hands of love and caring.
It is her eyes that have stayed with me. Where is she? Is she safe? Did she stay in the place that could help her? There are the cynics that will say “you can’t fix her, she will be right back on the street, you know she just used that money for drugs!” Maybe, maybe not! But I will pray for her and I will hope that maybe just maybe this was the time that she knew someone loved her and did see her! I must think this way because there will be another homeless person in a thrift store, another forlorn elder in a memory center, another injured soul in a hospital.
I wonder about how Christ has used others and this particular lady to remind us of the least of our brothers and sisters. Christ reminded us through her that writing a check to our local charity is not enough. He wants us to love, to step out of the crowd, to stretch out our hands. To see the forlorn homeless woman, this beloved child of God! To listen, to touch, and love her. By following Jesus in His footsteps, we must step out of the crowd, denying ourselves in our fears, and to make our world more about Us for Them. We can start the ripple effect one person at a time.
Chris Schaefer