Valentines Day this year is of course quite different. Among the difference is a shift in emphasis from the ‘romantic’ aspects of love to the other aspects of loving those who help us and look after us. The love for the NHS is a wonderful example right now, as well as a general encouragement for us all to simply ‘love our neighbour’.
This is a healthy shift – not because romantic love is wrong, but because the other aspects and expressions of love all have a valid place in society too. At Countess Free Church our motto is ‘Seeking to Worship, Seeking to Serve‘. The ‘serve’ in the motto is that same basic instinct to ‘love our neighbour’, human to human, recognising the dignity in a fellow human being, whoever they are.
Our ability to love is not something we conjure up. For us as a church it arises because God first loved us. God has already made the first move in Jesus – his life, death and resurrection. In it He demonstrates a supreme love – a sacrificial love. To this move we simply respond freely and willingly – the basis of our worship. Responding to the love He has already shown gives us the resources to start loving others. The two go together, the serving is a consequence of the worship response to God already moving towards us.
The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them.
Words of Jesus – recorded in John 13:13 (CEV)
This doesn’t need a special building, or even a special ‘church service’ – it is a human heart-response to Jesus. It is something we have been able to continue to do throughout the Lockdowns even as practical use of buildings has been off limits.
There is nothing special about the members of Countess Free Church in and of themselves. They are ordinary people simply making that free response to God, and therefore to others. It is a way that is open to any and all – and we have found it to be a beautiful way. Come along with us to find out more …
