Love. We write songs about it, and we swoon to the tunes of “Luther, “Aretha,” and countless others about it. Hallmark has made millions, if not billions of dollars by promoting it. We’re in love with love, and we celebrate it world-wide; Valentine’s Day, February 14. According to history, the pagans who adopted Christianity as their religion did not entirely abandon all of their traditions and practices. One of these traditions brought into the church was the fertility celebration known as Lupercalia, which eventually became Valentine’s holiday.
Born Anna Mae Bullock, “Tina Turner,” belts out these words with all the gumption that she can muster after living in a tumultuous life and marriage with her husband Ike. It was her battle cry for understanding of the power of love, “What’s Love Got to Do with It?!” And we join in on the chorus. We’ve been on this search for love and what it means for a long time, and if we are influenced by the origin of Valentine’s Day, we truly miss the mark. Love is not a 1-day event. The Bible has a lot to say about Love, and cannot gain a better understanding from anyone else. Not Aretha. Not Luther. And while Anna Mae Bullock became a Buddhist, after much hardship, and great success in her life, in her search for love, we pray that she gives her life to the True & Living God. It is in Christ, that we live, move and have our being. It is through His Word that her cry out for understanding Love, and ours, is found.
For months now, Pastor Washington has been teaching from John’s writings on faith, hope, and love. It is in the Gospel of John, at the close of the first century that John writes, and wants the Church to understand that unity is important, but God is looking for intimacy with the Father. John takes the position that the church is the family of God and intimacy with the Father means intimacy with one another. Intimacy is the backbone of love.
As members, indeed Children of the Family of God we must make the conscious decision to live by faith, share love, and to operate in hope. Pastor Washington has defined faith this way: “Faith is the intellectual and volitional response of the soul to the truth about God as it is revealed by The Holy Spirit.” What’s love got to do with it? Evidence of my faith is that I am challenged to, and chooses to love……. you.
Authentic biblical love is an act of showing care to others with no relation to feelings; it is the deliberate act of showing compassion without any expectation of anything in return. God did it, and it is a choice for us because it was His choice. He chose to love us. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should no perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 KJV). What’s love got to do with it? He has freed us from our Sins. There is no more judgment. The blood of Jesus, shed on the cross, was the penalty for our Sins. God was offended by our sins and only the blood of Jesus could pay the cost. He made us kings and priests unto God. We (you and me) are a Holy Nation. We (you and me) are a Royal Priesthood. As a Kingdom of priests we (you and me) have been granted access, and we have been given the privilege of entering into the presence of Almighty God; to bow to the King of Kings. That’s love!