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February 14, 2013
February 14, 2013
"A Valentine"
Scripture Reading:
John 3:16 (HCSB) “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (HCSB) “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
Devotional Reading:
I thought back to my elementary school days. I remember making valentines in class. The red construction paper cut into the shape of a heart. The white lace paper that was glued around the edge. I don’t remember being too neat. I do seem to remember being excited to take it home to my mom. I also remember filling in the to and from on valentines from the store….. for the whole class. The teacher sent home a list with every student’s name; I suspect it was probably actually a writing exercise. Sometimes, I would choose particular valentines for certain people. I especially remember searching the box of cards for the perfect valentine for that very special person… My teacher. I always started with the teacher card, doing as neat a job as I possibly could. It was important to get a good response from the teacher. My hand writing has never improved. Occasionally, I would mark out words on the front, not wanting any girl to get the mistaken idea. It is not my fault that my mom made me make a card for everyone…whether I liked them or not. Then on the day closest to Valentines Day we delivered them to people’s desk or boxes or bags along the wall. The girl’s mail boxes were heavily decorated with hearts and lace and lots of red. The boys just had the minimum, a name if we were allowed to get away with it. I remember later days in high school. Ordering a flower from some school club for my sweet heart. I seem to remember spending all I had to get the best gifts and cards I could. Love can make a person do some strange things, it can make you act crazy, it can make you take risk that a sane person would never consider.
The more I thought about Love the more I remembered how much it hurt. I hope that you can remember that painful feeling of young love. Sometimes it was hidden deep inside of you. Perhaps only exposed when you looked…at a distance toward that person that caught your eye. I guess it was called a crush. Today’s scripture is probably the most quoted scripture ever. You see it on a sign in the bleachers on ball games. People can say it with you if you start to quote it. I would venture to guess that if you ask a random person what John 3:16 says they could give an accurate paraphrase if they have ever spent any time in church. It is similar to a valentine; a valentine is a simplified statement of love and friendship. I can not think of a Valentine I have ever seen that would actually express the love I have for Silvia. Love is more complex than a catchy slogan on a colorful card. Be mine, True Love, Be My valentine all fall short of how I feel. The extra price of a Hallmark card, all too often, has to do. I can only hope that the depth of my feelings is understood from the “off the rack gesture.” The statement of the Gospel, is in simple terms you can print on a card with a lovely image and mail it to someone you want to give the hint to. It can be whispered on a plane or at a restaurant. It can be a conversation starter, to test the waters before you jump into a full description of the love of Jesus Christ.
But this little scripture represents a whole lot more. It is a statement that tries to explain the heart of God. For God So loved the World, perhaps we need to address this valentine a little more personally.
For God so loved Tom…..
For God so lived Harry,
For God so lived Larry,
For God so loved Nancy,
For God so loved YOU!
That he gave his only Son,
That he gave his most precious possession,
That he gave all his money…. Baseball card collection…. Last M&M….His new 50 inch HD television.
When God loves, he places everything at risk. The love He feels for us hurts and causes physical and emotional pain. Love makes you do some strange, risky and expensive stuff. However, I can not think of a single person in the world that I would choose to risk Silvia or my kid’s lives for. Each of us makes a choices about what we will do for others everyday. God chose to give his son. Folks that is expensive. God has sent to this world a valentine, a message of the love He has for all mankind. God’s message of love is so real that He takes all the risk. His son pays the physical and emotional price and we receive eternal life.
Keep the Son in your eyes,
Pastor Ben J Lahay
I thought back to my elementary school days. I remember making valentines in class. The red construction paper cut into the shape of a heart. The white lace paper that was glued around the edge. I don’t remember being too neat. I do seem to remember being excited to take it home to my mom. I also remember filling in the to and from on valentines from the store….. for the whole class. The teacher sent home a list with every student’s name; I suspect it was probably actually a writing exercise. Sometimes, I would choose particular valentines for certain people. I especially remember searching the box of cards for the perfect valentine for that very special person… My teacher. I always started with the teacher card, doing as neat a job as I possibly could. It was important to get a good response from the teacher. My hand writing has never improved. Occasionally, I would mark out words on the front, not wanting any girl to get the mistaken idea. It is not my fault that my mom made me make a card for everyone…whether I liked them or not. Then on the day closest to Valentines Day we delivered them to people’s desk or boxes or bags along the wall. The girl’s mail boxes were heavily decorated with hearts and lace and lots of red. The boys just had the minimum, a name if we were allowed to get away with it. I remember later days in high school. Ordering a flower from some school club for my sweet heart. I seem to remember spending all I had to get the best gifts and cards I could. Love can make a person do some strange things, it can make you act crazy, it can make you take risk that a sane person would never consider.
The more I thought about Love the more I remembered how much it hurt. I hope that you can remember that painful feeling of young love. Sometimes it was hidden deep inside of you. Perhaps only exposed when you looked…at a distance toward that person that caught your eye. I guess it was called a crush. Today’s scripture is probably the most quoted scripture ever. You see it on a sign in the bleachers on ball games. People can say it with you if you start to quote it. I would venture to guess that if you ask a random person what John 3:16 says they could give an accurate paraphrase if they have ever spent any time in church. It is similar to a valentine; a valentine is a simplified statement of love and friendship. I can not think of a Valentine I have ever seen that would actually express the love I have for Silvia. Love is more complex than a catchy slogan on a colorful card. Be mine, True Love, Be My valentine all fall short of how I feel. The extra price of a Hallmark card, all too often, has to do. I can only hope that the depth of my feelings is understood from the “off the rack gesture.” The statement of the Gospel, is in simple terms you can print on a card with a lovely image and mail it to someone you want to give the hint to. It can be whispered on a plane or at a restaurant. It can be a conversation starter, to test the waters before you jump into a full description of the love of Jesus Christ.
But this little scripture represents a whole lot more. It is a statement that tries to explain the heart of God. For God So loved the World, perhaps we need to address this valentine a little more personally.
For God so loved Tom…..
For God so lived Harry,
For God so lived Larry,
For God so loved Nancy,
For God so loved YOU!
That he gave his only Son,
That he gave his most precious possession,
That he gave all his money…. Baseball card collection…. Last M&M….His new 50 inch HD television.
When God loves, he places everything at risk. The love He feels for us hurts and causes physical and emotional pain. Love makes you do some strange, risky and expensive stuff. However, I can not think of a single person in the world that I would choose to risk Silvia or my kid’s lives for. Each of us makes a choices about what we will do for others everyday. God chose to give his son. Folks that is expensive. God has sent to this world a valentine, a message of the love He has for all mankind. God’s message of love is so real that He takes all the risk. His son pays the physical and emotional price and we receive eternal life.
Pastor Ben J Lahay
Galatians 2:20
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