Modern western society is very divided. There are groups promoting various causes and sub groups within these causes and sub-sub groups…

Of course, identifying yourself with a “team”, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Having a team gives you a purpose, identity, focus and aim.

We started up Netball training again this week, myself as the coach of a group of nine year old girls. It was great to watch their team spirit and unbridled enthusiasm as they practised skills with each other. There was nothing ugly about that. In fact, it was beautiful.

Teams only get ugly when when they play the game without good sportsmanship. When they become so interested in their own side that they start to play dirty.

This of course, causes division and sadly it’s all throughout modern western society: the right wing, the left wing; the pro-choice, the pro-life; the Vegemite crew, the Marmite crew; the toilet paper ‘over’ people, the toilet paper ‘under’ people….

And I might add, the people who socially distance themselves from you in your local Woolworths and those that don’t. Personally, I think social distancing in a queue is just good manners. Unfortunately, it took a global pandemic for us to sort that one out.

In my humble opinion, people now lining up properly is a golden piece of social interaction that should happen from now until Jesus comes again.

Another good thing that we can hope and pray happens until Jesus comes again is unity.

Perhaps, being faced with our mortality in such a disturbing way this year, those of us in Western society can start looking at what holds us together and not what divides us?

One time, when Jesus had cast a demon out of a man, the religious leaders accused him of working for the devil. Jesus replied:

Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

That’s a powerful warning to Western society from the Messiah himself. Division leads to desolation. If Western society continues to be divided we will belly flop into destruction.

Western society (the whole globe, in fact) has fallen over this year. As we shake off the dust and get back up, what will we stand on? Our divisions? Or our common humanity?

Jesus also said, “Love your neighbour as you love yourself“.

Who is your neighbour in the global village? Anyone and everyone.

As we get back up, let’s help each other stand, regardless of our differences. Recently, For King and Country, practised what they preach and teamed up with Tori Kelly and Kirk Franklin to sing a song about this.

Yours in getting up together,

Alison