Love isn’t on our minds and hearts only on Valentine’s Day, but we certainly pay attention to it more than usual this month.
(Full disclosure – I’m leaving town on Valentine’s Day this year for a week of teaching – good thing Nancy loves me!)
In this month of chocolates, flowers and greeting cards, we have two “love milestones” to celebrate in our own church family.
Both Norm and Patti Anderson and Ed and Judy Underwood recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversaries! We celebrate this significant marker with each of these dear couples! We are encouraged greatly by their examples, and we give thanks for their life testimonies of faith, commitment and love.
The apostle Paul wrote about love in 1 Corinthians.
When we read this passage in the Bible, we see that love involves actions—how we treat our family members, how we treat our church community, how we treat our enemies, and more.
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of [prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now, we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-13
As we celebrate this Valentine’s Day, here are 3 ways we can experience God’s love and share it with others:
1. Listen to worship songs about our Father’s love. (Check out the COD weekly Worship Playlist on Spotify.)
2. Pray for the specific needs of others and text them to let them know! (And if there is way I can be praying for you, please let me know!)
3. Post Bible verses about love on social. (Visit our Facebook and Instagram pages.)
This Valentine’s Day, let’s commit to being followers of Jesus who love with the qualities Paul shares in I Corinthians 13. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to move us forward in this together.
With love,
David Anderson
Lead Pastor
P.S. Has God placed someone on your heart who needs to hear about His love and grace? Invite them to church this Sunday, Valentine’s Day. I’ll be sharing from Galatians 3:15-16 about how we have been freed through love to serve one another.
