Houston Congregational Christian Church

Pastor James Manuel
4883 Russia-Houston Road
Houston, OH  45333
Phone:  937-295-3591
Email:  click here

Date:  February 15, 2009

Title:  God's Valentine to Us

Call to Worship:                                  Psalm 107:8-9

Prayer:

Scripture Reading:                            1 Corinthians 13:1-13

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable unto You O Lord on this Your day.

I hope everyone had a very good Valentines’ Day yesterday.   No one knows for sure where or how it originated,   but we do know who is responsible for keeping it before the public eye,    the greeting card and candy companies.    

I found an article with 6 stages of a married couple.   First year the husband says to his wife---Sugar Dumplin I’m really worried about you.   You’ve got a bad sniffle  and there’s no telling about these things with all the stuff going round.  So I’m putting you in the hospital for a good rest.  Don’t worry about their food I’ll be bringing your meals in.      Second year husband says---Listen darling I don’t like the sound of that cough and I’ve called the Doctor to rush over here.   Now you go to bed and rest.         Third year husband says----Maybe you better lie down honey.   Nothing like a little rest when you feel bad.   I’ll bring you something.  Have you got any canned soup?           Fourth year husband says----Now look dear   be sensible   after you’ve fed the kids,  done the dishes  and cleaned the kitchen   why don’t you lie down for a while.    Fifth year husband says---Sorry you’re not feeling good  take a couple of aspirin.              Sixth year husband says----I wish you’d just gargle or something instead of sitting around barking like a seal.        Seventh year husband says-----For Pete’s sake stop sneezing.  Are you trying to give me pneumonia?

 We do strange things when we’re in love.   And so does God.   He loved us even while we were sinners.   Romans 5:8,  ‘But God demonstrates His own love for us in this.   While we were still sinners Christ died for us.’              Webster defines Valentine as---A gift or greeting sent to someone special.         It almost always contains a message of Love that the sender has for the receiver.    May I say God has sent us a Valentine.       A message of the Love  He has for all mankind. 

From the very beginning God has expressed the great Love He has for us.        In a sense every time we meet for worship we celebrate Love,   God’s Love.   God sent us a Valentine in His word.    Then He sent us the greatest Valentine of all times,   He sent us His Son,  Jesus,   who is love personified,   a Living Valentine.       John 3:16,    ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son,   that whoever believed in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.’

God gave us a Valentine and I believe that we can learn 4 important truths from this verse.     1)  God loves you.   God loves us so much.  God has always loved you and will love you forever.   The truth is that God’s love for us never changes.      2)  God gave you His Son.   God didn’t send you a card,  flowers  or candy.   He sent us His one and only Son as an expression of His love for us.      3)  God wants you to believe.  God’s deepest desire for you is that you would believe in His Son and live with Him forever.      4)  God wants to give you everlasting life.   God wants to give you a future with Him in Heaven---life that never ends.

The Apostle Paul compares love with several other prized gifts.   In every case he shows that no matter what else a person has,    it is of little value unless he has the greatest gift of all---LOVE---God’s love.                    1 Cor. 13:13 says,  ‘And now these three remain:  faith,  hope  and love.   But the greatest of these is Love.’      This love is not sentimental or theoretical.   It’s not cheap.    This is a deep,  quiet,  strong love born of God.   It is His love for us and in us.   As the Psalmist said in Psalm 107:8 “Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing Love.”

A doctor instructed his entire staff that the most important thing they could offer any patient was love.   He said---If people can learn to give and receive love   they will usually recover from their physical or mental illness quicker.        The answer to our problems today is to get people to love one another.  

In Matt. 22:37-40 Jesus says,  ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart,   with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.   And the second is like it.  Love your neighbor as yourself.’                 And then in John 13:34 Jesus says,  ‘A new commandment I give you,  love one another.   As I have loved you  so you must love one another.   All men will know you are my disciples if you love one another.’

The key phrase in these verses is as I have loved you.   How did Jesus love them   and us?     He loves us  forgivingly,    understandingly,   sacrificially,  and unconditionally.  Without a doubt the greatest need in the world today is Love---The Love of God  and the Love of one another.

A woman was injured as she rushed to catch a streetcar.  She stumbled in front of the moving car and was caught beneath it.   The police sent for a crane to lift the car off her body.   While waiting for the crane a crowd of people gathered.   One man pushed through the crowd,   crawled beneath the car and said to her---Take my hand.   As she took his had she felt warmth and courage.   This calmed her and prevented her from going into shock.   After the crane arrived and the woman was released she said----I never thought an outstretched hand could mean so much. 

Luke 23:33,  ‘When they came to the place called the Skull,   there they crucified Him.’    God has stretched out His hand to help us.   It has nail prints in it.    We in turn should be willing to help others and offer our outstretched hands to them.           God expects us,   His Church,   to be carriers of His Valentine to the world.    We are to send a message of Love to all the people in our lives and others.    1 John 4:11 says,  ‘Dear friends,  since God so loved us   we also ought to love one another.’

In closing let us remember that God loved us so much that Christ died for us.   We must strive to be an example of that same love to a lost and dying world.    John 15:12 Jesus says,  ‘Love each other as I have loved you.’    Christ love to us should direct us to love each other.    May God help us to spread His---Valentine of Love,  to all God’s children.