Who are these Christians?

For we are the aroma of the Messiah...
II Corinthians 2:15

The Christians are a peculiar tribe. They are a race of people who pledge allegiance to God’s Dream for the world embodied in Jesus. ‘Christian’ is not a status, but a vocation. It is hard work keeping the Dream alive. They do not work to get to heaven, but to bring heaven to earth. They are not sidetracked with the drama of celebrity worship or consumer advertising. They are committed to blessing the world through sacrificial service and self-giving love. They reflect Jesus—the image of the invisible God—by advocating for those on the periphery and by forgiving family, friends, neighbors, strangers and enemies. They cling to the audacious claim that—although given the death penalty on a Roman cross—God raised this Jesus from the grave. They claim that the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead empowers them today. They live to please God and refuse to preoccupy themselves with what others think and who gets the rewards and recognition. They think deeply and critically about the world that God has created and pour time and resources into preserving and restoring the intended design for humanity, all creatures and land. They re-enact Jesus’ death and resurrection through the ancient practice of baptism, which signifies their own death to self, risen to newness of life. They have Time to listen to others and respond with gentleness, humility and care. Because they have been enamored by God’s grace and mercy, they live to pass it on to others. They do not motivate with nor are they motivated by guilt, shame or manipulation. They refuse violent solutions and self-defense because they worship a God who raises the dead. They look out for the needs of society’s most vulnerable and least capable. They give dignity and respect to life in regards to the womb, the bomb and the slum. They live with material simplicity and spiritual abundance. They interpret, meditate and enact the New Testament script, a collection of inspired documents written by Jesus’ original followers. They hope in a someday-soon, redeemed Reality that God will bring to this world. Their vocation is to be a sign and foretaste of this Reality by living it now. They are trained and formed by disciplines like prayer, fasting, confession, giving, praise and bible memorization. They work aggressively for peace and justice—socially, politically and economically. They yearn to see personal transformation: hurts healed, relationships reconciled, minds at peace, work fulfilled and enjoyed, addictive and codependent cycles broken. They pledge solidarity to each other, resolving conflict with nurture and honesty. They confess wrong-doing and identify weaknesses in themselves. They do not fear those with different beliefs, worldviews and lifestyles. They dialogue with them and learn from them. They humbly admit that they do not have the monopoly on the Truth. They are convinced that love will have the final word in the universe. These Christians keep the Dream alive, anticipating the ultimate Reality when God mysteriously shocks the world again.