Valentine’s Day is often marked by expressions of love — cards, chocolates, flowers, and heartfelt gestures.  And our wallets and credit cards show it!  According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are estimated to spend $27.5 billion on Valentine’s Day in 2025, up from $25.8 billion last year.  Shoppers will spend an average of $188.81 this year and, according to Hallmark, people will send approximately 145 million greeting cards. 

While its modern observance is largely commercial, the origins of this day are rooted in Christian history.  According to History.com, there are many sources for this holiday.  One tradition among many holds that Valentine was a priest in third-century Rome who defied Emperor Claudius II’s decree forbidding soldiers to marry.  Believing in the sanctity of marriage, Valentine performed weddings in secret.  His commitment to love and faith ultimately led to his martyrdom on February 14, around the year A.D. 270.  Over time, his legacy became associated with expressions of love, not just romantic love, but sacrificial and Christlike love. 

As followers of Christ, we are called to a love that goes beyond sentimentality — a love that reflects God’s very nature.  The apostle John reminds us: 

“⁷Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God . . .¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1 John 4:7, 10-12, NIV) 

This week, as hearts and hands exchange tokens of affection, let’s consider how we can extend God’s love in ways that fulfill our mission as Christ’s disciples . . . 

• Love through service – Jesus set an example of selfless love when He washed His disciples’ feet, saying, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15).  Acts of service — whether helping a neighbor, writing a note of encouragement, or supporting a struggling family — reflect the love of Jesus Christ. 

• Love through compassion – Love isn’t just about what we say; it’s about how we treat others.  Jesus instructed us in Matthew 7:12 — “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”   

The Golden Rule challenges us to show kindness to the overlooked — the lonely, the grieving, the outcast.  A simple phone call or visit can bring light to someone’s darkness. 

• Love through forgiveness – God’s love is most powerfully displayed in His forgiveness.  This Valentine’s week is a great time to mend broken relationships, extend grace, and seek reconciliation where it is needed.  We talked about this in last Sunday’s message from Ephesians 4:22-32 as we seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance and renewal in our relationships. 

Valentine’s Day is about more than flowers and chocolates — it is an opportunity to embody the love of Christ.  May we take time this week to share His kindness, compassion, and grace, pointing others to the One whose love never fails. 

In Christ’s love,