The Greek word for church, “ekklesia,” once meant “called out.” The Greek word for a religious gathering became the modern word for synagogue. That word meant “to bring together.” Jesus participated in his synagogue, so he wasn’t rejecting his Jewish community, but why would the early church use a word that means “called out” to their self-identity?As I understand it, the word “ekklesia” originally referred to the democratic body in ancient Athens that made important decisions. Athenian citizens had an obligation to the common life. Our modern word “idiot” originally came from a Greek term for someone who lived by and for themselves. Being an “idiot” didn’t mean that the people were stupid, it just meant they didn’t participate in the civic process. They saw the people of their city as total strangers. They may have been personally smart and ethical, but they added little or nothing to the common life.As I said so far as we know, Jesus never left Judaism and he participated in his synagogue. So, perhaps the word “ekklesia” was added, not to describe a new sect, but to emphasize the kind of religion that produces good neighbors and shares a commitment to the common good.Perhaps being “called out” means finding a love that is wider than our narrow allegiances to our own siblings, political party or religious sect. Perhaps “ekklesia” described a community that not only gathered in worship, but also heard a call to serve the common life. When Jesus began his teachings he didn’t give his followers sectarian theological tracts. He took them out to a shoreline and told them to contemplate the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. It seems to me Jesus wasn’t calling his followers into a new religious sect so much as calling them out to a love that would grow into compassion and justice for all.