by the Rev Michael Savage, retired

So – Valentine’s Day has come, and gone! Did it bring that longed-for love-match, or was it all just a bit of lark, with dashed hopes and loads of disappointment for another twelve months?

Has it left you with not only disappointment, but also all sorts of questions – am I worth loving? Am I lovely enough? Am I lovable at all? Does anyone really care?

While human friends may fail to live up to our hopes and expectations, there is one who is described in the Bible as a friend who sticks closer than a brother, one whose character is unchanging love, one who is ready to welcome us home, whatever our past track record or our present prospects.

The story told by Jesus of the Prodigal Son, which is better described as the story of the Waiting Father, demonstrates the eagerness of God to welcome home the wanderer and the wayward.

He is more than ready to forgive the mistakes of the past (because He died that we might be forgiven), and to lay on a celebration banquet to demonstrate his desire to have you, yes – even unworthy, unlovable you – at his side. It is there, and there only, that you will find a love and a welcome that is constant and enduring, whatever the ups and downs that life throws at you.

The invitation (His Valentine addressed to you) is waiting for your reply.