Beyond the Threshold

I did something very dangerous this evening. I went to church. I should clarify. I went to a church where nobody knew my name, and I wasn't in charge of anything. I was welcomed as a visitor with firm handshakes and eager introductions even when I was in the wrong room. I experienced the love of Christ this evening in a way that I've longed for for some time now, in the simplicity of a genuine smile that says "I don't know you, but I see Jesus in you.".
You may ask "what's so dangerous about all that?". To which I would reply, "nothing" on the surface, but in the shadows the darkness trembles. It trembles with every step beyond the threshold and into the unfamiliar places of our extended family. There is a knowledge among the darkness and the shadows that reminds them of how dangerous the united body of Christ must be. How, when we lay our denominational differences aside, (differences that the majority of believers in any denomination could not articulate if their lives depended on it) and choose to seek this Kingdom together, the shaking of things that must be shaken is embraced and all that remains is cherished beyond measure for the awesome gift that it is. "...and the greatest of these is love."