I grew up on the banks of the Ohio River where, in more prosperous times of old, immigrants poured in to work the coal mines and steel mills. There was a large Italian community there, and folks seemed to recognize when you belonged to that community, even before they knew your name.  People in that group were "blue collar," Catholic for the most part, had similar physical characteristics, gathered in large extended family groups for holidays, and even had particular inflections and speech patterns. As I grew up, however, and moved away from home, I was not as often recognized as part of that group, especially since the Italian name is on my mother's side and not on my father's. 

I John 3:9-10 says, "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed (sperma) remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother." Just as there were certain characteristics that came through my Italian bloodline, there are definite characteristics that come through the "bloodline" of Christ, and just as the world did not recognize God in Christ, it will not always know and understand His progeny, particularly if we choose to wander out into the ways of the world. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it" (John 1:5); "He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed on His name, He gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God" (John 1:10-13); "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world" (John 15:18); "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him" (I John 3:1).

The world does not understand why we do what we do, and often people hate what they don't understand, but there is a community, a "family," in which we will always be known--the family of our heavenly Father. In that community there is a commonality of purpose, goals, work, speech, and most of all, love. "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves His child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands. This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" (I John 5:1-4). It's hard to stand alone, but God has given us brothers and sisters to depend upon. "I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God. I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood; joint-heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod, 'cause I'm part of the family, the family of God."

Thank You, Lord, for the family, all my brothers and sisters in Christ, some who I know and many, many that I do not know. Keep us bound together in one mind and one accord for the purpose of doing Your will on this earth. Your kingdom come! Amen