It is Valentine’s Day. The day for love. 1 Corinthians 13 is often called the love chapter but it was written to a church that was feeling everything but the love. There was fighting, bickering and falling away in the church. Thanks to God that Wesley UMC is not in that kind of shape. We at Wesley act out the love that Jesus Christ calls us too and we practice a welcoming attitude at each and every service.
While the secular world uses this day as a time to focus on the person who loves them as an individual, Paul was talking to a church that needed to love being in communion and worship with each other in a harmony that brings the Holy Spirit on them and in them. It is important that we love each other and really work on strengthening our relationships with each other in our couple relationships. This also applies to our relationships in our churches with those we worship with. Paul knew that the bickering, fighting and falling away would block the Holy Spirit’s work and would hold back any spiritual growth as well as numerical growth in the church. When we as couples or christians example a spirit of love we attract people to ourselves and to our churches. While spiritual growth should always be our first emphasis we must also consider the way we interact with each other and how that draws people into our congregation because our calling is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Having a place of worship that is welcoming, friendly and exampling the love that God has for us is the best way for us to attract disciples for Jesus Christ.
Valentine’s Day is just another day for us to be true to the love for the world that Jesus Christ examples to us. Yes we should be living Valentine’s Day 365 days a year. Reaching out to people with love is how our Lord and Savior did it and how we must do it.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Hope everyone has 364 more.
Randy
Wesley United Methodist Church, Orange TX 
Leave a comment