What flavor?

Yesterday we were have a conversation about ice pops at our house - were the blue ones bubble gum or blue raspberry flavor? I thought they were usually the latter but was told they were bubble gum - the teen arbiter of flavor came in on my side - I suppose I could have just eaten one.

It would not have mattered except that I do not like Bubble Gum flavor and I do like blue raspberry flavor - the ice pops which turned up were green which is my fave and saved worrying about it anyway!

Anyone who has been through this flavor thing will understand - when flavors are unmarked you have to decipher whether green is apple (which we do not like) or lime (which we do). Is yellow banana which is open to universal rejection or pineapple or lemon? White could be anything from coconut to pear to watermelon to mint.

The word "Christian" seems to arouse a similar array of responses. From warmth to hostility. From love to violence. Looking from the outside it is impossible for an onlooker to tell what "flavor" we Christians are and, in fact, those who manage to market themselves best and look most friendly are often the most intolerant and hostile to the world and its diversity.

This is not a call to conform to the moral standards of the world but to be aware that the very badge of Christ we wear is in very many people's eyes a very nasty flavor - they have a bad taste from somewhere else in their lives - teaching them about Christ, reaching out to this world, will mean not simply saying merrily that we have good news to proclaim but following our Lord's example of meeting the injured and hurt where they stand, of reaching in and taking time. There is an element in this evangelism where we, as the body of Christ, must absorb and repent of the sin of another brother or sister in Christ who we may not even know - not taking the burden in an unhealthy way but acknowledging the pain caused in the name of Christ and the name of the Church and seeking a way forward.

Thus, in humility and patience, the flavor of "Christian" might change to one which is more akin to the flavor of Christ.