Where is the Love?

No different than most everyone else, I was home checking my Facebook newsfeed; catching up with what my friends, not "friends" (I'm sure we've had genuine friendships before friend became a buzzword) had going on in their lives.  I scrolled through, reading and commenting on some of the posts that I found.  I also watched some video from some of my "liked" items.  I happened upon a post for an upcoming counter - protest of a local church protest that is taking place later this week.  It appears the initial protest is by a church that is protesting a high school where many of the students have identified themselves as homosexuals.  My friend posted this on her page for the friend who is posting his planned attendance at the counter - protest.  From the exclamatory decrees, on my newsfeed,  to boot the church from the county where it rests, I can tell this has got a lot of people hot.  I can only imagine the things being said and written that aren't on my page.  This is hot stuff that will make headline on the local news where it is taking place.  There will be an equal number of people on both sides of the lines.  And I am sure there will be a police presence as well. To be honest, it is an issue that I think about often from time to time.  I am attempting to be a follower of Jesus, but I haven't been very good at it.  I see that it is a way that makes sense for me to follow so I will continue to try.  I tend to think, because of the tremendous friendship and kindness I've experienced from gay men and women, I am neutralized by getting into this.  I've seen the love of Christ exemplified in some   gay and lesbian persons more than I've seen in many hetero Christian people. I had the the honor and privilege to attend a concert by the band Jars of Clay in a local music club, some years ago.  Dan Haseltine, lead vocalist, was speaking with the audience and sharing how it troubled him to read in a survey that only 3% of Christians would offer aid to the millions, in Africa, dying from the AIDS pandemic.  It was surprising to find how many fundamentalist Christians viewed this as a judgement of God.  And this was a guy calling out his home team, since the band holds the label of a Christian rock band. So, what's the point?  Here's how I see the church is not helping itself and dropping the ball.  Church attendance is declining more and more in America.  Do you think making the news, getting free press prior to Easter Sunday, for railing against a high school is going to inspire a growing membership? 'What church are you attending?' 'Oh, we attend ......'  'Isn't that the church that was in the news for protesting...?'  Many of the Christian people that I know live well and work very hard to not be seen as a two-dimensional portrayal in a bad movie.  The church's tactic is all wrong.  If  the assumption is correct, the execution has nothing to do with God.  In fact, for the Man upstairs, this is the equivalent of one step forward, two steps back.  How does waging war against teenage boys and girls have anything to do with their salvation?  Most teenagers are struggling with coming into their own; thinking about the future, not thinking about the future, fighting with mom and dad, screaming on the inside to find out who they are.  I'm sure it's a scary time for them.  And how small is this  church's God to where they can't meet together and pray for these kids?  Where they can't visit the school through some collaborative county / faith - based community initiative?  I was reading a book where a church was praying for God to destroy a bar in the community.  Something like a storm or fire occurred and the bar was gone.  The owner got word that the church was meeting to pray for something to happen to this bar and he sued the church.  When the pastor went to court, he admitted that the church did pray for something to happen but never really believed that it would.  Is the faith so little that the church does not believe that praying for these kids, in adolescence, will work?  Are headlines more important than getting to love these kids the way God loves them? One of the most beautiful things that I have read was a quote from St Francis of Assisi that goes "Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary...use words".  The church would do far better to bring coffee and donuts a day or week to this school. Does God care?  You bet.  Is he too small?  Is your perception or understanding of who and what he is too limited?  God loves these kids.  It's the church's job to learn what these kids' love language is.  And we know lovin' ain't always easy.