I’m writing these few words on the famous 14 February, the annual day of celebration of love and romance. You may be aware that ‘St. Valentine’ was reputed to be a ‘priest’ from Rome in the third century. At that time the Emperor had banned marriage because he thought that married men made bad soldiers. Valentine disagreed, so he arranged marriages in secret. When the Emperor found out, Valentine was arrested and sentenced to death. Whilst in prison he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter and when he was taken to be killed on 14 February he sent her a love letter signed “from your Valentine”.
I trust I will offend no one in drawing the following comparison. Our Divine High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, so desires our marriage to Himself that He gave His life, so that every day may be for us our ‘Valentine’s Day’ – indeed every moment of every day. As a result should we not constantly say, in words drawn from the Bible’s special book on love: “I am my Lover’s and my Lover is mine” (Song of Songs 6v3a)?
A lovely New Testament exhortation then flows from this:
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5v1,2)
Peace and Grace
Paul