Pastor’s Newsletter Article for February 2025
ESV 1 John 4:7-8 “7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
From the Pastor:
On the 14th of this month, many regions of the world will celebrate Valentine’s Day. This celebration originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine. Over the years, a number of martyrdom stories have evolved concerning Saint Valentine including an account of his imprisonment for ministering to Christians under Roman persecution in the 3rd Century A.D. Later additions to the legend state that St. Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers when the Roman Emperor forbid them to marry. Later, in the 18thcentury, claims were made that, just before his execution, St. Valentine wrote a jailer’s daughter a letter and signed it “Your Valentine”. Therefore, the theme of love and romance have evolved from this man’s legacy and has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of love and romance in many parts of the world.
Although today, the world has severely confused “love” and “lust.” The news frequently reports incidents of sexual harassment and abuse against prominent journalists, politicians, athletes, teachers, and other celebrities. Such incidents are clearly based on lust, not on love, and are a result of sin. They are acted out with a selfish motive that thinks nothing of the mental anguish or emotional scars that the offended person will agonize with, possibly for years to come. Clearly, this is not God’s will. This is not loving our neighbor. But so we are able to know His will, God sets the boundaries of morality in His Ten Commandments and in various other parts of Scripture.
In 1st Corinthians 13:4-8a, God defines what true love is and what it isn’t. He says that, “4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.” While these verses are often chosen by many as a favorite epistle text for their wedding ceremony, as sinful human beings, we all can benefit from these words, and need to remind ourselves constantly to put them in practice every day of our lives, especially when working with potential new members to our congregation.
Back in the late 1960’s and 70’s, I remember a song by Peter Scholtes titled: “They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love.” This song, based on the verses above, called for brotherly love and unity among God’s people. And while the claim that the title of this song makes is true, how many of us are guilty of not showing love in everything that we’ve ever said or done? Yet, people expect Christians to always be loving people who are kind and patient, and not rude, arrogant, irritable, or resentful. And while we can never compromise the truth of God’s Word, when it comes to matters of personal choice or preference, we should be willing to compromise, and not forcefully or insultingly insist on having everything our way.
Therefore, as imperfect Christians, we need to ask God’s forgiveness for the times we fail to show love toward others, especially with those who are new to our congregation. We also should ask for God’s help in controlling all selfish outbursts and harsh comments that can permanently damage our relationships with other Christians. And may God help us, by His Holy Spirit, to love one another, even to love our enemies, as He has loved us. In His Service, Pastor Oester
