Grace Notes 2/14/2012

Grace Notes 2/14/12------------------O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain
and feel the promise is not vain
that morn shall tearless be.

Have you found the expression of your love that you want to share with
your loved ones—each made in the image of God?

Have you decided how to express a healthy love for yourself—a creation of
and delight to God?

These are 2 of the things that I ponder in the days leading up to and on
the celebration of St. Valentine's Day. The legends surrounding
Valentine have obscured the details of his life and death. There were 2
Valentines: 1 a priest who was martyred in Rome and the other the Bishop
of Terni. Not a lot more is known. In any case, the celebration of the
Saint's day has been imbued with hearts, flowers and sundry gifts related
to romantic love. Love is truly at the heart of the feast, but it is a
broader love, a love that was directed and sustained by the Spirit toward
the creator, redeemer, revealer God whom Valentine served.

All love is a gift from God and this note is not intended to pan the
romance and friendships celebrated on this day. What I do hope to do is
provide a reminder for us that our Heavenly Father is among those whom we
acknowledge on this day. Just as we build relationships with other
creatures/persons who share our experience, a relationship is the focus of
our prayers, worship and encounters with Holy Scripture. Our Father's
voice calls to us through the Bible and speaks tenderly to us in prayer so
that we might build and deepen a relationship with our God. Psalm 139
reminds us that never and nowhere is there a time or place where we are
not in the presence of the loving being that made us. Romans 8:31-39
emphatically witnesses to the Christian treasure as St. Paul proclaims—"I
am persuaded that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God which is
ours in Christ Jesus!" St. Valentine trusted his life to that never
failing love.

Let us find in this feast day the sure and certain grace of the LOVE that
is beyond all others, the love which is a model for the love with which we
meet one another and the healthy love with which we hold ourselves.

Pastor Rob
Salem Lutheran Church