Current Events
02/14/2010 - Valentines Day Lunch - after Worship Service
02/16/2010 - Executive Committee Meeting 6:30 pm
From the Pastor’s Pen...
February, the calendar home of Valentine’s Day, usually conjures up the warm sentiments of love. For me, that means images of red construction paper hearts, bouquets’ of flowers, little stuffed animals and candy, especially chocolates. As a young Christian, I was taught “God is Love” and the greatest single act of love was “the passion of Christ”- His sacrificial death on the cross for my sins. “For God so loved …”.
Many of my younger years, I was puzzled by the use of the word “charity” in the place of love as it appears in the King James Version of Scripture in Corinthians 13. I could not grasp the idea that “charity” could be greater than faith and hope as the scripture plainly taught. Some of my confusion stemmed from my modern understanding of the meaning of “charity”. I understood it to mean, “giving to the poor or less fortunate”. I knew that kind of giving, charitable or philanthropic, is motivated by love, but I could not see how it ranked higher than faith or hope as a Christian virtue. How could giving to the poor rank above faith and our hope in Christ? I knew, having read other versions (NIV, NLT, RSV, the Message, Amplified) the word “charity” was translated “love”. So why was it written in the KJ the way it was? To further complicate my struggle to understand, I learned there is some negative stigma that often accompanies “charitable giving” for both the recipient and the giver. Maybe, due to pride or judging others, both of which we are taught are undesirable traits.
With further study of the Scriptures, I came to realize the meaning of charity or love throughout the Bible as “a God inspired caring and concern for the welfare of others”. We should want, as God wants, all persons to live in love, peacefully, together, forever. Such a love begins with the desire for or assurance of salvation, the saving knowledge of Jesus. The love God has for all of creation, humanity being at the top of the list by God’s own declaration, is “Agape”. Agape is a Love only God has and gives. His love, “agape” has wrapped in its meaning something of the preciousness and worthiness of the one loved. In other words, God sees us as precious and worthy of His love, not that we are but, He chooses to see us that way. It is the nature of God and part of what it means to be Christian (Christ like). Because Jesus is God, in the flesh, He is love, in the flesh, and to be “Christ like” is to be “love like”. God’s relationship with humanity and humanity’s relationship with God begins, ends, and is wrapped around it’s source, which is Love/God. The Christian must love God Supremely and their neighbor as themselves. Love is the foundation and common thread of all Christian virtues.
Here is my challenge to you as you observe this year’s valentine celebration. Do not love in the name of Saint Valentine. Rather, love all the saints, in the name of, and just the same as God loves you! Choose to see them with the eyes of God. Choose to view them through the eyes of love. I am confident you will find it easier to love in deed and not in word only.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Bro. Earl