What the world needs now is...love

It's Valentine's Day today and a time when we can't help but be reminded of that natural human longing for love. While we can justifiably bemoan this annual slush fest, we can also see it as a great opportunity for Christians to talk about the only love that can truly fill our hearts - the great unchanging love of our Father God.

Why? Because we all want love and yet so often we - even us Christians - forgot the source of that love - God.

The one thing that is so noticeable about Valentine's Day is that it is ALL about me. That's right. Me. "Have I found love?" "Did I lose it?" "Does anyone love me?" "I don't really care...But why does no one love me?!" And on it goes. Even if we are in a loving, secure relationship it still tends to me about me - "Oh thank God, someone loves me!"

Burt Bacharach got it so right when he penned the classic "What the world needs now" (is love!) and the lyrics are as true today as they ever were. What the world really wants and needs is love and while Valentine's Day is great for those who have it - or rock-like cynics who genuinely don't care - it can be a killer for those who don't have it and do care.

It's so easy to say "I love you" but how hard is it to say "I am loved" - and believe it. That's why it's the perfect opportunity for the church to step in and show the lonely hearts of this world that there is light at the end of the tunnel. There is a way for them to feel truly loved, not only on February 14th but every day of the year.

This year, instead of sending the same old card that says "I love you" wouldn't it be great to send out cards - especially to those who don't know this truth - with the message "God loves you" and that's all the love you need. After all, the foundation of our love is Christ and any other love is a bonus, a blessing given by God in His own time to complement the love we have already from Him. How sad that so many satisfy themselves with a cup when they could drink liberally from the well. It's a good time to point them to a deeper love than what they can ever hope to receive from any man or woman, no matter how loving they may be.

The Church of England, incidentally, has just published a new book, Making the Most of Weddings, aimed at cutting the 'spend, spend, spend' culture of weddings in the 21st century - the average wedding in the UK now costs £17,000.

On the release of its book, the Church of England noted that it would be great if couples put as much effort into the relationship after their wedding as they did into the wedding itself. The same could be said for Valentine's Day. Why all the effort for just one day of the year? Something is amiss if we need the shops to remind us that we ought to do something nice for the ones we love.

Everyone wants love but what kind of love are we looking for and what kind of love are we willing to settle for? Can anyone be happy with shallow love that only expresses itself in a bunch of roses one day of the year? Or don't we all want true love that manifests itself in so many ways each day that we are sure of it whether we receive the flowers or not? Or, even more than that, don't we all want true love that does not chain us to the fluctuating love of a man or woman at all ie the ability to feel greatly loved and special whether any one person in this world loves us or not?

Mission impossible? There is a way. Jesus taught us to love God first and then to love our neighbours as ourselves. This is the order of love that Jesus taught us and the only order of love that can truly fill us up. There is a chronic shortage of love in this world and there is only one solution to that: the God of love Himself. That is the message we need to take to the young and old who don't already know.

This is the perfect time for the church to put up all the arrows they can to point the way to God - the source of love that never changes, never dies, and is always faithful. We've all heard of the term 'love triangle'. Well, it's not that kind of seedy soap opera love triangle that I'm thinking of. It is the love triangle which brings man and woman together in the pure love of God - three-in-one.

And purity is essential although it is sadly disregarded in this country today. The cards may be cute on Valentine's Day but there is something sadly much more schmutzy festering its way through many a young heart on the day - lust. What a great opportunity for the church to talk about this confusion between love and lust and talk about the beauty of love that is pure in the eyes of God and true to the love He intended us to be filled with every day. We're all for cleaning up our diets, our streets, the planet. Now let's start a campaign to tidy up love, the spiritual life force of this world.

So, why not get out your pen this Valentine's Day and write a card to someone you know and remind them that they are loved, by God. Why not tell people about the love you have received from God and why abstinence until marriage is beautiful. God loves us whether it's the 14th of February or any other day. He loves us 365 days of the year. And He wants us our thirsty hearts to drink from that pure love 365 days of the year.