Valentine's Day is an interesting day. For many, it is a "must do" occasion to include gifts, dinner, and thoughtful cards. For others, it is a time to buy a box of Valentine cards and distribute them to as many as possible. For others, it is a reminder of love lost or love rejected. It is an interesting day.
I also think it is the perfect day to address Sacraments. Sacraments are those expressions of God's grace which remove the need for us to imagine. Sacraments are those expressions of God's love for us which become tangible. We don't have to wonder whether God loves us - we can feel the water on our heads and know that God accepts us as daughters/sons. We can taste the wine and know that God feeds us. We don't have to wonder whether we are saved, God has saved us and there might even be some photographs lying around the house.
Most of us will spend some portion of this day wondering if. If we will be honored with a card; if we will be remembered by a classmate; if someone will single us out and say to us, "You are my Valentine." But we do not need to wonder if we are loved. We are. We are loved with a love which can never be doubted. We are loved with a love clearly demonstrated by the gifts of water and bread.
If we allow ourselves, we will remember that this day's full name is Saint Valentine's Day. This is no secular holiday - it is a day in which all the world longs for and attempts to mimic the actions of one who experienced the love of God and set out to share that love. Let us help the world in accomplishing what it so desperately wants to accomplish. Let's teach the world what it means to love. Let's share with the world how wonderful it is to be loved with a love which can never be doubted and to be nourished by the One whose love stands behind all other love.
Pastor Chris
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