“True love stories never have
endings”
Richard Bach
Valentine’s Day, a day in Australia where shop
owners go crazy changing their window displays to invite thoughts of love.
They madly stock the shelves with a variety of gifts which often involve
an abundance of heart shaped objects, flowers and over the top “mushy” cards in
the hope there will be a rush of customers all wanting to shower presents on
their beloved ones. It’s one of the biggest days of the year for florists and
more often than not there is a wedding or two. It is a day that at
times seems to scream “couples” and “romance”.
While I think that the idea of Valentine’s Day is a
combination of “sweet” and “commercial” I prefer the way it is celebrated in
Antigua Guatemala. In Antigua it is known as El Día del
Cariño, most closely translated as “The Day of
Affection”. It is the day where the people of Antigua show
appreciation to those around them - neighbours, co-workers, friends, family,
spouses and such. What a beautiful sentiment.
On Valentine’s Day this year, I was asked to give
the Communion message at Church. Originally I giggled at the thought
that I, a single mum, was to give a message on “the day of love” for couples.
But then I paused to think of the one who loves me more than anyone
could. Below I share with you my Communion message:-
“Valentine’s Day, brings a myriad of emotions to a variety of people
both negative and positive. Love lost, new love, a parent’s love,
heartache of unrequited love, yearning for love or just beginning to understand
love - there are so many emotions brought up on this day every year.
For me though, it is a beautiful thing being able to share in communion
on Valentine’s Day because in partaking in communion we are remembering and
celebrating the ultimate act of love from the only being who loves each and
every one of us with a pure relentless eternal love, our Heavenly Father.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only
son so that anyone who would believe in him would not perish but have eternal
life”. John 3:16
That
precious sacrifice, the aching separation of a father and son when Jesus bore
our sins as He stretched out his arms and died on the cross. And the
magnificent jubilation in heaven resonating for all eternity when He rose
again. A journey full of the most extreme of emotions all given and
acted upon out of love, so that we may have an eternal relationship with God.
So as we
take the bread and remember Christ’s body broken for us, as we drink the juice
and remember His blood that was shed for us, I encourage you to meditate on the
fact that He loves you with a pure, relentless, unconditional true love to a
depth that we will never experience from anyone or anything else in our
lifetime.”
Have you
experienced this love? Have you truly realised the depth of the love
your Heavenly Father has for you? If not I encourage you to open up
the Bible and spend some time studying it. The Bible is full of verses
which are testament of His love for you.
For those of you who have experienced God's love and do know how deeply
loved you are, I encourage you to share in the comments below your favourite
Bible verses that helped you to understand the depth of that love. I
would also love to hear why the verses you have chosen to share resonate with
you.
References: Holy Bible: New International Version. (2011).
Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan
Webpage: http://antiguadailyphoto.com/
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