February is the month of love and Lent. Of course, Hallmark won’t let us forget that February 14th is Valentines Day, but will Hallmark and the rest of the world remind us that Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 25th? What is this world’s fascination with candy, cards and roses all about anyway? (If your wise you won’t ask your sweetheart that rhetorical question on Feb. 14th, you’ll just get her some! But exploring “Valentines Day love” in the light of “Lenten love” does make for a good February newsletter.)

In English we only have one word for the word “love.” This makes it easy for Hollywood and the devil (notice how easily the two fit together in the same sentence) to blur in our minds any difference between ro-mance with true love.

In Greek, however, there are three words that are all translated by our one English word, “love.” Those three words are: Philos, Eros, and Agape (pronounced “A–gop-ay”)

Philos – actually is “brotherly love.” From this Greek word “Philos” we get such words as “Philadelphia” – the City of Brotherly Love. “Philodendron – a “love tree.” “Philanthropist” – one who loves his fellow man. Already you can see that this “Philos” is a higher and better love than “Valentines Day love.” A true brother who loves us is not as fickle as cupid. Brotherly love does not sweep over us in one minute and then leave us the next.

Eros – is “Cupid Love.” From this Greek word we get English words that make us blush, like: “erotic” and “erogenous.” This is what Hollywood and the world pounds into our heads as the “true meaning of love” to the beat of the teen-agers latest “love songs.” While being shot with cupid’s arrow is fun and erotic love is a gift from God to be enjoyed by husband and wife, it certainly is not “Lenten Love.”

Agape – is the best kind of Love. What is an interesting lesson and story in itself is that for a time, “Agape” lost its meaning. That is to say the Greeks still KNEW that there was the word, “agape”, but no one could tell you what it meant – that is until Jesus came along and started using it – saying things like: “Greater agape has no one than this, than that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13); “This is agape: not that we loved God, but that he agaped us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (John 4:10); “For God so agaped the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16); “God is Agape” (John 4:16). To learn more about “agape” see also 1 Corinthians 13 and say “agape” every time you see the word “love.”

Agape is unconditional, self sacrificing love that thinks of others before thinking of itself. The reason that the meaning of the word was lost for a while is because sin is the opposite of love and Greece, like the United states was saturated with an internet/Hollywood definition of “love.” Only God who is AGAPE could AGAPE us and fill the word with meaning once again. Agape then flows from God to us and then through us to others. If you really want to know LOVE, “AGAPE love”, then you will join us this Lenten season beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 17th for our Lenten series entitled The Spirit Anointed Christ for Mercy. In this series we will see what manner of love moved Jesus to lay down is life for us and how his love is active through us in caring for others. May the Lord Jesus fill your life with new meaning and Agape love during the month of February and forever.

Pastor John