How do people recognise Christians in general? There are some religious groups that are very obvious: Things like the way they dress and behave, language and character to name a few. Your classic Mormon duo, Sikhs, Islamic people, Jehovah’s Witnesses – and so on. Of course these are generalities and not true in every instance, but generally they can be quite visible. But what about Christians? Is there something about us that shows we are Christian? Would John the Baptist see us approaching and call us out: Behold a child of God! It’s not what we wear. It’s not the language we speak. It’s not the food we do or don’t eat. What is it?
And what about the bulk of the population: apart from other religious groups, how do we recognise people who are not Christian? They maybe agnostic or atheist; indifferent or antagonistic toward Christianity. How do we tell?
Do we really need to be able to distinguish such differences? Perhaps not. Perhaps we simply need to drop the whole identifying bit and simply be what God has called us to be – to shine and to share Good News?
Surely, if we are baptised into Jesus, then we are baptised into what God give him to be: “I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)?
And if we are willing to be that light to the nations, to shine and to share, what might people see in us?
