Thursday, January 30, 2025
Wendy Paterson (Pastoral Care Co-ordinator)
Valentine's Day is coming up. It's usually a fun day for kids in school as they hand out cute cards to their classmates. It's a romantic day for lovers, young and old. And it's the perfect time to buy a heart shaped ice-cream cake, flowers, chocolate, beautiful or funny cards or jewelry.
Perhaps you have some special plans for February 14th this year, or some memories of Valentine's days in the past that you still cherish. I hope you will enjoy whatever you do this year or whatever you remember from the past.
This year I would like to invite you to try something different – not to replace what you usually do or have planned for this year, but in addition to those things.
Valentine's day is traditionally a day for lovers. If we remember God's love for us, and ours for God, that puts all of us in the 'lovers' category. Perhaps not the romantic kind of love we generally associate with Valentine's day (see the Bible book, The Song of Solomon) but more like the kind of love Paul wrote about in 1 Corinthians 13. While we often hear that chapter read at weddings and associate it with romantic love, the letter was written to encourage the Church members in Corinth to act with love towards each other, building up the community of faith.
My invitation to you if two-fold. You can choose to do one or the other but I encourage you to do both.
Think of a truly loving act you are capable of doing and then do it. It might be sending a card to someone with a note telling them how much they mean to you, helping a neighbour shovel their snow, inviting somebody for dinner or coffee or just making a meaningful phone call. The possibilities are endless. Choose something that is motivated by love, God's wonderful love.
Write a piece about God's love or your love for God. It can be as short or as long as you like, it can rhyme or not, it could be a poem, a prayer, a song or a paragraph about how God's love impacts your life. You can sign it or not but please send it to me and I will include it in my next “Musings” on February 25. If you don't want it sent out for others to read, that's o.k. Send it to me anyway and let me know you don't want others to see it. wendy.paterson132@gmail.com.
Thanks for considering this request. I look forward to receiving your submissions and celebrating God's love with you around Valentine's Day this year.
With you in faith and love,
Wendy Paterson (Pastoral Care Co-ordinator)