New thought on the called out people of god

In reading 'The Only Necessary Thing,' Wendy Wilson Greer's compilation of writings from Henri Nouwen, I learned to look at the meaning of being "the called out people of God" in a whole new way. Nouwen is quoted on p. 126 (bold italics mine)...

...as the people of God, we are called ekklesia (from the Greek kaleo, call; and ek, out), the community called out of the old world and into the new.

You know, maybe it's just me, but usually when I have heard people talk about the church as "the called out people of God," I have taken that to mean we are called out of THIS world... That we are to be separate from the world in which we live NOW. This was quite eye-opening to think of our "called-out-ness" in terms of being called out of our 'old' world - our world of sin and slavery to self - and into a new world of grace and freedom with God. Again, I don't know about you, but that just blows me away.

Peace out, friends; and in.