Valentine and love

Even in these Covid days, Valentine's Day is a big deal if you are a florist. Demand for red and pink flowers and other things is way up. I'm writing this the day before and I'm pleased to have some gifts for my wife waiting in a drawer upstairs.

But where did the traditions come from?

· The first commercial cards appeared in England early in the nineteenth century;

· Long before that, in 1415, an imprisoned French duke sent love poetry on 14 February;

· Long before that, in 269, a Christian leader called Valentine taught about love and was executed in Rome under emperor Claudius on 14 February;

· Even before that, Romans celebrated a festival the next day celebrating spring and fertility.

For Christians, the day is a reminder of our all-loving God. When Jesus was asked to name the most important command, he responded with two: loving God and loving our neighbours (see Matthew 22.34-40 for details).

In his first letter, Jesus' disciple and friend John wrote a lot about love, including "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us", and later he adds "We love because he first loved us".

Of course, Jesus did not trouble himself with flowers and chocolates. But He did give us something red - his blood, shed on the cross. God loves us so much that Jesus would die for us to take the punishment for our wrongdoing. Every time we look at a symbol of the cross, we are reminded of God's love.

So, amid the mushy romance, I hope you'll take a moment to reflect on God's love.

Wishing you His best,

David