"My wife and I had the privilege to attend the After Valentine’s Day Luncheon at Anna Ogden Hall where ladies who are in the Union Gospel Mission Life Recovery Program live. 

I was honored to speak. I chose to reflect on the empty promises that this world promises in human love that only Jesus can ultimately fulfill. The human heart was meant to be loved first and foremost by God. 

I shared this poem that captures the reality of so many relationships. 

We Do Not Speak of Love 

By Harold Norse

‭‭we do not speak of love

 but all are pushed & pulled

 by it

 taking all forms & shapes

 twisted pounded burnt

 by it

 like the sculptor’s clay our faces

 punched & pinched

 made long or ripped apart 

 by it

 eyes pained or deep or lost

 lines cut in cheeks & forehead

 from it

 we do not speak of love

 our faces scream

 of it

 haunting bars &

 running wild in the streets

 for it

 we do not speak of love

 but spike warm veins pop pills

 burst brain with alcohol

 for it

 gods & demons wrestle for the heart

 of it

 I can’t survive the lack of it."

I then let the words of the prophet Ezekiel reveal God’s heart and purposes for each of us. 

God sees us in our discarded, abandoned and orphaned vulnerability. He comes to us and gives us the word of life. He washes us in blood and baptismal waters from all our sins. He becomes our protector and provider. He cleans us up and draws us into covenantal love and relationship. He anoints us and clothes us. Our lives then become beautified by His sanctifying work. Our lives become testaments to His glory, adorned by precious and beautiful things. In Christ we become Queens and Kings, living witnesses of His saving, restoring grace, love and mercy. 

Ezekiel‬ ‭16‬:‭4‬-‭13‬ 

“On the day you were born your umbilical cord was not cut, you weren’t bathed and cleaned up, you weren’t rubbed with salt, you weren’t wrapped in a baby blanket. 

No one cared for you. No one did one thing to care for you tenderly in these ways. You were thrown out into a vacant lot and left there, dirty and unwashed—a newborn nobody wanted. 

“And then I came by. I saw you all miserable and bloody. Yes, I said to you, lying there helpless and filthy, “Live! Grow up like a plant in the field!” 

And you did. You grew up. You grew tall and matured as a woman…But you were…vulnerable, fragile and exposed. 

“I came by again and saw you, saw that you were ready for love and a lover. I took care of you, dressed you and protected you. I promised you my love and entered the covenant of marriage with you. 

I, God, the Master, gave my word. You became mine. I gave you a good bath, washing off all that old blood, and anointed you with aromatic oils. I dressed you in a colorful gown and put leather sandals on your feet. 

I gave you linen blouses and a fashionable wardrobe of expensive clothing. I adorned you with jewelry: I placed bracelets on your wrists, fitted you out with a necklace, emerald rings, sapphire earrings, and a diamond crown. 

You were provided with everything precious and beautiful: with exquisite clothes and elegant food, garnished with honey and oil. 

You were absolutely stunning. You were a queen! You became world-famous, a legendary beauty brought to perfection by my adornments. Decree of God, the Master.“

Pastor Eric.