Canon Paul Hardingham from Parish Pump Website for church magazines, considers the nature of true love. God So Loved the World ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16) This month, as we mark St Valentines’ Day, we focus on the importance of love. In understanding the way God loves us, this verse shows us how we should love others. God’s love is unconditional: God demonstrated His unconditional love for us by sending His Son into this world, to show us how we should love others, especially when it is undeserved! ‘There is nothing we can do to make God love us more. There is nothing we can do to make God love us less.’ (Philip Yancey). God’s love is sacrificial: God’s love is not selfish or self-seeking, but selfless and self-sacrificial, putting the needs of others first. This is demonstrated by the cross, which is the supreme demonstration of God’s love. He died for our sins to give us access to God’s love, which is made real in our lives by the Holy Spirit. God’s love is forgiving: According to the film Love Story, ‘Love means never having to say you’re sorry.’ Yet Jesus’ love for us enables us to forgive others, as we find His forgiveness through the gift of eternal life, available to all who put their trust in Him. In this World Cup Year, we remember Bobby Moore describing the terror of receiving the World Cup from the Queen in 1966: “I noticed that the Queen was wearing some beautiful white gloves. I looked down at my hands and they were completely covered with mud!” Although we approach God with dirty and spoilt lives, because of His love, we can shake hands with a holy God and share that love with others. 4
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