I had every intention of trying to steer clear of discussing Easter in this column this week. I intended to instead leave that for my colleagues writing nearer to Easter.

In my readings recently, however, I came across a relevant sentence that challenged me and caused me to reconsider: “It is nearly Easter, and we will hang crosses on the walls of our homes and churches. How do we think of it when it’s a decoration?”

My mind went not only to the crosses which, as we focus on the love and sacrifice of the cross, will rightly feature prominently in our churches in the coming days and to palm crosses.

But I thought too of the crosses that many Christians choose to wear crosses around their necks. Is that a decision to witness the faith, a fashion statement, or could it be something else?

A US House Representative recently made the news when she unleashed a barrage of criticism on a UK journalist. During a press conference, the politician was asked by a Sky News reporter about a leak of classified information. The Representative refused to answer and even snapped at the reporter to “get back to your own country”.

I don’t want to get into the politics of the matter on this occasion. Clearly, anyone who has ever watched any political coverage will have witnessed reporters asking questions and politicians finding ways to avoid or simply ignore the question. That is part of the regular routine.

For me, this particular exchange was jaw-dropping for two reasons. The first was the way the Representative simply dismissed the question, not because there was anything wrong with the question but because she felt the reporter had no right to even ask it. The politician even said the reporter should instead be focussing on all the women raped by immigrants in the UK.

Of course, the politician’s manner and her tone were rude and aggressive. But the thing that really struck me was the simple gold cross hanging around the Representative’s neck.

Decorative? Faith symbol? I’ve no idea but for those of us who profess faith, authentic Christianity demands a change in the way we conduct ourselves and the way we engage with others.