Our celebration of love and romance on Valentine’s Day might have only the slightest connection to its namesake. That’s amusing, but wouldn’t Valentine be flattered to hear that his name represents the virtue of love in modern culture? Churches – naturally fond of the idea of love – have Sweetheart banquets, almost as if they were required. Red and white decorations all around the building. Cards for the Sunday School kids. And couples everywhere give each other special attention, even if they are otherwise not getting along. Admittedly, it’s a good time.
Love is a theme that never bores us. We like daily reminders of one another’s love. Spouses, family, friends, even co-workers. But it’s probably good to have a special day to celebrate loving relationships. This annual, national focus on shared love is particularly uplifting. We get to say, “I love you”, just like we might say on any day, but when we say it on Valentine’s Day, it’s as if we really, really mean it. We’ve planned how to say it. Probably spent a little money. And we’ll set aside time – maybe just hours, maybe the whole day – to love and be loved.
God’s Valentine’s Day is on a different day, you know, We celebrate his love as a church family every Sunday. Although we know his love all week long, and might remember to tell him day by day that we love him, on Sunday, we really, really mean it.
So, this is a great weekend. We get to celebrate love both Saturday and Sunday!
Doug Reed | Literature And Teaching Ministries | www.latm.info