Opinion : Pastor\'s Blog - Reflections on Valentine’s Day

 

First, there’s the ‘it’s just another Hallmark Holiday’ crowd who thinks that Hallmark invented the holiday to get rich off unsuspecting lovers.  Seriously?  I’ve never been to a Hallmark-type store where the clerk pulled me over the checkout, took my wallet, and billed me for flowers, candy and a greeting card.  I’m not saying this never happens, but normally people buy that stuff without coercion.  Besides, Valentine’s Day predates Hallmark by at least a thousand years.

 

Second, there’s the crowd that thinks expressions of love (of the Valentines Day sort: flowers, cards, gifts, etc.) shouldn’t just be one day a year but every day.  I can see the point here, but don’t they think this would get a little expensive?  The trio package I mentioned above runs about $50 if you’re lucky- next year, it’ll probably be $150.  Now don’t get me wrong- I think we should all give daily expressions of love that are free (snuggles, hugs, & kisses) and/or economical (sticky notes with scribbled ‘sweet-nothings’).  I just can’t swing roses every day.  

 

Third, there’s the ‘Scrooge Crowd’ who won’t show any kind of affection for their spouse and don’t intend to start.  I can understand this too-a little bit anyways.  This past Tuesday, one of my close friends gave his wife her very first flower in the 14 years they’ve been together.  She was super excited - it made the news in their part of the country.  Maybe there’s another kind of glue besides love that’s keeping marriages together these days.  If there is, I’m sure Indiana Jones will find it.

 

And there may be a fourth crowd who think Valentines Day is an evil, wicked holiday to be avoided at all cost.  Unless this crowd is talking about the extreme, obscene, commercialization of the holiday, I can’t understand this one.  Love and it’s virtuous expressions bring joy, happiness and peace.  Can the marital and familial relationships endure years, decades, or lifetimes without the sincere, mutual expression of selfless love?  Probably not.  Love is something God brought into the world, not Satan.

 

Now, if you don’t want to celebrate Valentine’s Day next year, you’ll get no haggle from me.  But, may I encourage you to practice the principle of the matter?  God has a lot to teach us about love.  He wants you to develop the kind He mentions in 1 Corinthians 13:1-7.  Here’s a short excerpt from the passage:

 

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”  1 Corinthians 13:4-7

 

And if that’s not enough, read what happened when someone asked Jesus what the most important commandment in all the Scriptures was:

 

“‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”  Matthew 22:37-40

 

So, not only does God tell us what real love looks like, He tells us that there is no greater duty in all the world than to love God first and best, and to love one another as much as we love (and take care of) ourselves.  Love was never Saint Valentine’s idea.  No, love existed long before him in the person and grace of Almighty God- Jesus Christ.  It is certain He cannot love you more than He already does and cannot possibly love you any less. In relation to His own death, burial and resurrection for sinners, He proved His love here: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  John 15:13  Indeed, no one could ever love you more than Jesus.  

 

All Scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT).