Short Reflection

Tribalism and otherness

The stories in Genesis and Romans both speak of Abraham and the sign of God’s covenant with him. 

This is something that sets the people of Israel apart from their neighbours.

Otherness, I guess, is a human trait; by it, we know our identity, who we can trust, who we can’t trust.

Football teams, amongst others, perpetuate this tribalism among their fans, appealing to base instincts.

Churches are not immune from this tribalism; indeed, some actively support it.

The unity of Christians

And yet, we are called to break out of this tribalism and to see the unity to which Christ calls us.

To do so requires self-knowledge and an awareness of the dangers that we face and perhaps unwittingly promote.

The first few verses of today’s psalm express this rather well:

Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood sweeps over me.

O God, you know my folly;
the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

Psalm 68 (69):1-2,5

In the urgent call for Christian unity (as a catalyst and leaven for unity for the whole human family), we can remember that

the Lord hears the needy,
and does not despise God’s own that are in bonds.

The Jesus event is precisely about redeeming us from our iniquity and letting us experience the freedom of the children of God.

This is a freedom, not to do what we want, but one of service to the human family.