HAVE I TOLD YOU LATELY THAT I LOVE YOU?

It was on the night I took ill in her house that my youngest sister first showed her concern, by saying, with a note of panic, "I love you, now Good night". 

By morning I felt much better and we hadn't needed to ring for medical help. I don't recall this particular sister telling me previously that she loved me, but she has many times since, and I her. We triggered something that night, it would seem, and I'm glad of it.

I was discussing this the other day with a woman who in spite of signing off her emails, "with love" then always concludes with the slightly careful, "your email friend". Perhaps that's just  as well; she's a happily married woman with absolutely no need of encouraging some lone male's daydreams. But she was surprised and pleasantly so when I told her of my sibling and I telling each other that we loved each other. "It's not usual you know" she said, "I think it's something we grow out of as we get older when in fact we should be growing into it." I think she has a point which is why I take the liberty of quoting her here.

"Growing Into" saying I love you, that's quite a thought. As we get older we may tend to take it as read that we love some people. They shouldn't need to be told, should they? I thought of that the other day when I called back to my old parish school. It's only a mile from my retirement home and I was, after all, Parish Priest there for 30 years. It's one of the happiest places I know and Helen, the Head, is very welcoming, even if she's busy, so why not?

But it was as I was leaving again that I noticed the school Mission Statement and more especially the simple, very direct line that acts as a summary. It says simply, "In All Things Love". Wow! In all things. All those lesson plans, meetings of parents, teachers, Governors, school football, emergency calls to parents, visits from Ofsted, "In All Things Love" Wow again. What a mission indeed, that no matter what's going on, the clear unmistakable message is "Love". That's definitely worth getting out of bed for on the coldest of mornings.

So let's ask the question one more time, "Have I told you lately that I love you?" and this time let's put it not in the mouth of our local school, but in that big thing called the Church. What comes quickest to our minds when we think of all that comes under the heading, Church? Buildings, money, institution, the next life, behaviour, Them, Us, or just possibly, "In all things, Love"?  Wouldn't it be wonderful if love was the message that spilled out from all the activities known as Church? Whether it's the big organisation we often think of as IT or THEM, the church, or it's the folk who continue to put their daily hopes and dreams in Jesus. What a difference if we could all do our bit in ensuring that the message that comes across from all things is simply, love.