Where is the love?

I was reading Jonah last week (one of my favourite stories of the old testament) and it got me thinking.
At the end of the story, Jonah gets mad at God when God decides to spare Nineveh because he KNEW that God would have done that. He knew God was merciful, forgiving, slow to anger etc. and basically was really ticked off that God sent him there. I think that Jonah secretly must have wanted God to punish Nineveh. It would have somehow brought pleasure to Jonah.
This started the wheels turning in my head.
I started thinking about the church.
Generally (as I have witnessed) when new comers enter a church, the leaders and members of the church get all excited at the 'fresh bait' (k, i think that I still have the imagery of Jonah in my head. Haha)
Take for example - a non-christian couple that are living together. The church is quick to get them to repent of their sins, start living in seperate apartments, get bibles into their hands, get them signed up in a ministry of the church and basically sign the dotted line. Then go away patting themselves on the back and elbowing each other saying "we got anohther one! Praise Jesus."
Let's pause for a moment.
What did Jesus do?
How did he act?
What was His purpose for coming to earth.
To love.
TO LOVE.
As a church body, we are soooo quick to church-ify people. To plug them into the big full functioning machine, 'guiding' them to a life of purpose - yes that's right, you join the church, become and usher, clean up your act and you get - VOILA a life of purpose.
Does this not sound strange and oddly eerie?
LOVE
LOVE
LOVE
I believe that we are called to LOVE above all else. People come to our church. Let's LOVE them. People are still having sex with their boyfriends/girlfriends. LOVE them. People are still smoking crack - LOVE them. I honestly believe that if we embrace and accept people, they will feel loved and at peace when they feel a part of the family. Then THEY will come seeking advice and seeking to change their lives. Out of .... you guessed it... LOVE.
Shame on the church, on me, for hauty eyes (sidenote, one of the 7 things that God hates) and casting judgement on people in our churches who don't appear to be 'getting their act together'.
We have a responsibility to love. Not to get out the big cookie cutter of christianity, and force people into it.
Love changes things - changes the world. Gettting people to look nicer, sing better, and fill up the pews doesn't. It makes everything prettier, but that is not what it's all about.
As my friend Nathan says "Jesus was ugly and people still loved him".
Let's stop worrying about the outside appearance. Get to the heart.
PEACE.