In this world of love and romance there are some unlikely couplings. Pictures and articles from and about couples. I look and read and see “perfect couples” – I see less “from the outside” perfect couples. And I wonder.

The wonder that is love and romance. The lure of relationship. Love is colour blind. Love is culture blind. Love is not normal”ist” – nor an “ist” you can invent. Love just barrels through convention and doesn’t even notice. Love is connection. Love is not blind – love just says “sod you lot – we are happy – get a life!” Love is united against the world. Love is strength in unity. Love trumps convention.

Now let’s look at a bit of God stuff (just for fun). The relationship between God and me, God and you, God and us.

And church.

The “label” version of that word. The “worldly” version of that word: Denomination. Membership. Convention. Rules. Expectations. Compliance. Politics. Imperfect. Hypocritical. Unloving. Lost its way. Irrelevant. The local picture. And then west v east – north v south – God v not God – religion v religion. The global picture.

We don’t need “non-believers” to knock church. There are more than enough non-believers in church knocking church. It’s a knocking shop (do you ever have an “inappropriate” thought that has to see the light of day)!

And – more seriously – maybe church is too often a knocking shop: spiritual prostitution. An hour with God? And what is it you require? Okay, that will be … (and a handshake on the way out) … That was good for me! Same time next week … ?

What? Church as a brothel?

“sod you lot – we are happy – get a life!”

Because I have seen two people I love. Two people I know love God. One identifies as a Jew. One identifies as a Roman Catholic. The former is now the latter and the latter is now a Baptist. Both are “hybrids” – and both have reservations about “what will people think”. Both sense rejection, that they are “not quite right”, they are an oddball in their move of denomination.

Why? Are we not all “hybrids”?

And just who is our relationship with? God – or the brand name we have given God? How is our relationship? With God – or others of the same club?

Why is it so hard to look at a loving couple in “church” and not see a couple in love? Why do we only see one half – the human half. Why do we never see the partner they love? Why do we never see their God sitting next to them – within them – in the very place we call His home? Why do we still see labels when God is sitting right there – perfect for each of us? And just why would we want to see a label instead of Love?

Because at the end of the day – when you breathe your final earthly breath … Who are you going to see? Who do you want to see? Who are you going to be with?

These two people I mentioned earlier?

I see MJ and GSHJ together nestled in a denomination that suits them both. I see KB and GSHJ together nestled in a denomination that suits them both. I see both really excited. And – as their God is also my God – I see Love trumping convention.

God dwells within – wherever we find “convention” works best. God is not “church” – we take God with us. And when we take our final breath – if all that matters is dying a good death for our denomination – being seen to have been a good label …

Then God help us all.