Do you know the story behind Valentine’s Day? Actually, there are several stories. One is most commonly believed. It began in the 3^rd century A.D. with the Roman Emperor who was having difficulty recruiting sufficient young men for the Roman army. He felt that it might be because so many young men were newly married or had families and they did not want to leave for military service. So the Emperor issued an order that no young men could marry before a certain age. 

At that point in history there was a priest by the name of Valentine. He strongly disagreed with the Emperors order. He therefore began to secretly marry young lovers through out his part of the empire. Eventually, he was caught and thrown into prison. The Emperor issued an order for him to be executed. In the days before his execution he was befriended by daughter of a guard who came to visit him. He sent her a card that was signed simply “From your Valentine”. Later he was executed and became “St. Valentine.”  He is the Patron Saint of lovers! 

The result of all of this is a great tradition called Valentine’s Day to day. It is observed in at least six countries. Valentine’s Day is of great benefit to florists, candy makers and restaurant owners. In 2006 28% of all Americans dined out on Valentine’s Day. Last year 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates were sold. There is a chapel in Los Vegas called the Little White Chapel. On February 14, 2006, 269 weddings took place in the Little White Chapel. The town of Loveland CO does a brisk business on Valentine’s Day. Last year 189 million roses were produced for Valentine’s Day. 

A couple attended a marriage seminar on communication. Somewhere the Instructor was talking to the couples. He said, “It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to each other.”  Then he spoke to the men directly. “Men, can you describe your wife’s favorite song or her favorite flower?” One man turned to his wife, touched her arm gently, and said, “Pillsbury All-Purpose flour, isn’t it?” 

More cards are sold on Valentine’s Day than any other time except Christmas. Presumably the tradition begun with a woman by the name of Ester Howland in 1840’s in U.S.

I read about an older married couple who was in a card shop together. They were examining Valentine Cards in the husband and wife section. Each made a selection then exchanged and read the cards. The man said to his wife, “It is really beautiful.  Thanks.” The wife said to the husband, “How very thoughtful. Thank you dear.” They wished each other a happy Valentine’s Day and exchanged a kiss. Then they returned the cards to the rack and walk out of the store.

I even came across an unusual Valentine’s Day card for those who believe in “Global warning”. On the front of the card is a pastel drawing of the West Coast of the United States in the shape of a heart. Below the drawing are the words, ”Climate changes! Don’t you change.“ Then on the inside left there was this message:

Oceans may rise,

From the planet a’ warming.

But your non polluting love,

Is shelter from the storming. 

On the right inside there was this final message:           

            Till the end of time – which, depending on the

estimates and what we do in the mean time,

could be only like, a hundred years!!![a] 

IT IS ALL ABOUT LOVE 

Love is a familiar and frequent word in the Christian vocabulary. There is much in the Bible about God’s love. “God so loved the world…” But there is also a great deal about human love. In the Old Testament we are told over and over again that the primary way in which people honor God is by loving God and loving their neighbor. This is all reiterated by Jesus in his New Testament teaching. He told his listeners that the greatest commandment was to love God with your total being and to love your neighbor as yourself. In I Corinthians 13 Paul talks about faith, hope and love as the three great qualities in life. He says, “The greatest of these is love.” In the text for today, Paul says that, “Love is the fulfillment of every aspect of God’s law. 

Some people will ask, “Is that all there is?” “Love everyone and you are a faithful disciple?” “It does not matter what you believe if you love God and neighbor?”

I think that is goes a bit deeper than that. I think it goes a lot deeper than that!

I sometimes think of Christian love as “re-gifting.” Do you know what re-gifting is?  It is probably poor etiquette!  It is poor practice! You    receive a gift which you don’t particularly care for, then you decided to rewrap that gift and give it to someone else.

There is a wonderful story from the life of writer George Bernard Shaw. He went into a used book and browsed the dusty shelves looking for some treasure. He discovered one of his own books there. It saddened him to think that anyone would throw away one of his books. He took it off the shelf and discovered that it was a book he had given to an old friend. The inscription was there on the inside cover; “to W.T.B. with compliments, George Bernard Shaw.” So he bought the book and mailed it back to his friend with this inscription. “to W.T. B. with renewed compliments, George Bernard Shaw.”

I did come across one illustration of perhaps a good form of re-gifting. There was a young woman who sent her husband a Valentine’s Day card while he was in the military. She had a little inscription written on it, signed her name and dated it. Much to her surprise, the next year, he sent the card back to her with his own inscription and dated it one more time. The following year it went back again. This happened over almost 40 years. Each year there was a new inscription, each one dated and signed with love. It became a 40 year record of love and commitment.

Re-gifting may be poor etiquette. But it is good theology. Theologically, re-gifting makes excellent sense. In the New Testament we are told that we are loved because God first loved us.

I am loved; you are loved deeply by a loving, generous God. That is the message Jesus came to proclaim and demonstrate. You are loved and forgiven. You are a recipient of grace. All of these are gifts. One writer says, “God love us so deeply and passionately that it hurts.”

Then you and I re-gift that love to others and out into world.

You and I re-gift God’s love to everyone, to everything, every day. 

Let me offer some particulars. 

LOVE OTHERS AS COMPLETELY AS YOU CAN 

 First we are to love others as completely as we can. That is not always easy. A child wrote a letter to her minister that said, “Dear Minister, I know that God loves everybody, but God never met my sister!” 

The Christian standard is to love as God loves. That means we are called to love the very “being” of the other person. Our highest and best humanity comes through when we love like this. 

Little Chad was a shy, quiet boy.  Day after day, his mother agonized when she watched the children coming home from school. While they laughed and talked to each other and hung onto each other, Chad always lagged behind – alone. One day, Chad came home and told his mother that he’d like to make Valentines for everyone in his class. Her heart sank. She thought, ”I wish he wouldn’t do that! They never include him in anything.” Nevertheless, she decided she would go along with her son. So she purchased the paper and glue and crayons, and for three weeks, night after night, Chad painstakingly made 35 valentines. Valentine’s Day dawned, and Chad was beside himself with excitement as he started out for school. That afternoon, Chad’s mother placed cookies and milk on the table. Then she looked out the window and saw the children coming home from school. There they came, laughing and having the best time. And, as always, there was Chad in the rear, alone. But walking a little faster than usual. His arms were empty. Obviously, he had not received any valentines, and she fully expected him to break into tears when he got inside. She choked back her own tears, saying as he came in, Mommy has some cookies and milk for you. But he hardly heard her words. He just marched right on by, his face aglow. And all he could say was," Not a one, Not a one.” Her heart sank. And the, he added, “I didn’t forget a one, Mommy. Not a single one.”[b] 

To love and to be able to love is to be fully alive. Love refashions us into the men and woman were are intended to be. 

GIVING IS AN EXPRESSION OF LOVE 

Furthermore for a believer giving is an expression of love. I was teaching at Perkins Seminary earlier this week. The lecture was on Stewardship. I shared my simple theology of Stewardship - a three tiered process: Grace is a gift, discipleship is my response to that gift and giving is one important piece of that discipleship. 

After my lecture the Bishop of Missouri spoke as well. He talked about the marks of a church that is truly alive. One of those marks he said is, “Extravagant generosity!” 

We give not because of some persuasive call for the offering. We give because a generous God has made giving into a lifestyle. 

The offering every Sunday in church is a re-gifting divine love. Someone quipped one time that the prayer that ought to offered as the plates are brought to the altar is something like this,  “God no matter what we say or do, this is what we really think of you” Perhaps not  but maybe yes!  In other words what we are saying with our offering this is how I respond to your love, O God. 

EXERCISING JUSTICE IS A FORM OF LOVING 

I also believe that exercising Justice is a form of loving. Justice is a form of God’s love offered to others and to the world. The first book of theology I ever read was a little book by Paul Tillich called LOVE, POWER, & JUSTICE.[c]  I was a Senior Year in college. I was preparing to go to seminary. I decided that is if I was going into the ministry, need to read some theology. So I found this little tiny book of theology by Tillich. It cost only 95 cents. It was a brand new book at the time. It was published in 1960. I graduated in 1961. 

The longer I live, the more I understand that these 3 words belong together: Love, power and justice. John Buchanon, Editor of the Christian Century writes, “The highest and best of our humanity occurs when we love one another, when we care for and respect one another.” Justice is caring for and respecting one another. Love is power for justice in Jesus’ name. 

Justice is tough. It is very tough. But God calls us to re-gift divine love as justice. God calls us to work toward:   

        The notion of a “just” war

        A “just” peace

        A “just” economy  touching every area of life

        A “just” environmental policy

        A “just” health care system for all (which will be the topic of my message next weekend) 

Love means a servant lifestyle of just living and acting. I am so grateful for the ways that style is growing here at Christ Church. I am especially grateful for the adult work teams. In the early years of my ministry at Christ Church the only work teams we had were those that were carried out by the youth of this church. The youth were leading the way. A few adults went as co-workers and some as chaperones. Today we have the youth work camp plus 3, 4 or 5 adult work teams per year. The adults go at some sacrifice.  There is considerable personal investment. My prayer is that emphasis will grow and grow and grow. It is one way the church “loves God and neighbor” with justice. 

To work for a just world is a form of love and a heart-shaped expression of gratitude to God.  

So Valentine’s Day has to do with hearts, candy, flowers and dinner out. But, Valentine’s Day has more to do with spiritual strength and commitment. 

Vaclav Havel the first President of the Czech Republic once wrote,

”Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.” What makes sense, eternal sense, is God is love, and for those who abide in love, God abides in them.” 

May the highest form of love dominate your life on Valentine’s Day.

May all who know you know that God’s love abides in you. We are fundamentally re-gifters of God’s amazing love. 

Amen!