Signs

“Sign, Sign,
everywhere a sign
Blocking out the scenery
breaking my mind
Do this,
don’t do that,
can’t you read the sign

Sign said you got to have a membership card to get inside”
-Five Man Electric Band

Math. It’s not just for kids anymore.

If you’re a Good American, you changed your Facebook profile picture to an equal sign or a cross or what appears to be a bathroom door figure mash-up or some other zippy graphic to demonstrate your solidarity for The Prevalent Issue of the Moment. (If you’re a Weird American who doesn’t have a Facebook account, congratulations. Your reward is the blissful ignorance of myriads of soap-box speeches from both sides of this issue. Obviously, you anti-facebookers are the only people with any sense at all.)

Surely, this will convince everyone.

I saw one status thanking people for changing their profile pictures to equal signs because now they could easily identify whom they were going to un-friend.  I saw people “supporting traditional marriage” by vilifying and even attacking those who are gay. I saw a lot of arrogance and judgment (“I love the sinner but hate the sin”, “People who are against gay-marriage are against freedom”), a lot of “My view is The Correct View because…”, some “The purpose of marriage is to create and raise disciples of Christ”, an alarming amount of “There is no way two men or two women can find happiness because that’s not God’s order.” I saw a lot of yammering, some spectacular whining, some bad preaching, far too many of those stupid E-Cards, and a lot of yelling.

Finally, after three geological ages apart, the Bathroom people have gotten hitched. In a church, of course. Bless gawd.

I saw a lot of signs yesterday, but I don’t think we can fix this one with signs. I think we might need some patience, some humility, and some grace:

Matthew 16:1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. ² He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. ³ And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? ⁴ A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.

And he left them, and departed.

There’s something rather sad about that last phrase….