The greatest love
All around the world people are celebrating Valentine’s Day today. I found out that this day actually started as a Christian feast day honouring some Christian martyrs, including one Saint Valentine of Rome who was imprisoned for helping persecuted Christians in the Roman Empire in the third century. Today it’s more connected with romantic love however, and many send cards or give flowers or chocolates to someone they love. This historic connection gives a beautiful pointer to the greatest love of all – a love that’s self-sacrificial and proven by someone’s actions and life. This true love is so much deeper than what often goes for love today: a fuzzy warm feeling, making me feel good.
This true, deepest love is most clearly shown in our Lord Jesus Christ. As John writes: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16). For us, who don’t deserve it, who often aren’t particularly lovable, and by nature God’s enemies!
This shows the great depth of God’s love. And why did Jesus lay down his life for us? Our motto verse for this year tells us: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1).
Whatever your associations with something like Valentine’s Day (great occasion for a gift, or commercial nonsense; lovely day, or painful reminder) – as Christians we can use the occasion to remember again God’s love for us: that we’re purchased at great cost, loved with the greatest of all loves. We can’t give God a box of chocolates of course, but we can tell him, praise him, give thanks. Why don’t you take a moment to do that today?
Klaas-Jan Gunnink