Rebecca Inglis - February 14, 2021
Alternate Enemies
This Sunday is Valentine's Day. Thanks to Hollywood, it is most commonly associated with gushy, romantic love. Each year a huge amount of money and effort is spent on expressing love on February 14. Millions of Valentine's Day cards are written and given. Kids muster up the courage to write heartfelt notes to secret crushes. Gifts of flowers or chocolates are sent romantically to loved ones, particularly partners or potential partners. While Valentine's Day is celebrated in most countries, different cultures have developed their own traditions for this festival. In some parts of the world Valentine's Day is observed as a day for expressing love between family members and friends, rather than that of romantic couples. In recent years, the modern alternative to the traditional couple-centred event – “PALentine’s Day” (which is most often commemorated on 13 February), has gained momentum. PALentine’s Day is a way to celebrate the friendships in our lives that make us richer and more complete. Urban Dictionary says this about PALentines day: “If you are single and/or sick of the commercialisation of Valentine's Day, you spend this day hanging out with your best friends, eating pizza, watching movies, and playing video games.” The New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa Territory of the Salvation Army has even tapped into the modern alternative to the traditional couple-centred event and created Palentine’s Day cards to help us celebrate great friendships. (You can download these cards at https://women.salvationarmy.org.nz/PALentinesDay Now, I personally like this move to include more people in this time for love and appreciation. Love isn’t just for those who have a partner or even who want a partner. It’s a good thing to look out for all those people in our lives who we love and care for! But Jesus takes this one step further in the Sermon on the Mount. Yes, we should love our spouse or partner. Yes, we should love our friends. But, Jesus says, as his followers, we should love even our enemies. He says, “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies.” Matthew 5:43 Join us for this message as we think about how far our love extends. Is our love limited to those in our family or friend circles, or do we make the intentional choice, as part of God’s alternate kingdom, to love even our enemies and to let them bring out the best in us, rather than the worst?
Scripture References: Matthew 5:38-48
