February is certainly the month that every one seems to be focused on the heart and love. The month of February is known as Heart Month bringing awareness to having a healthy heart with February 7 being National Wear Red Day to bring attention to heart disease. We are making and sending thoughtful Valentines to Concordia at Ridgewood when we hold our Chili and Soup lunch on the 9th after church. And often during the month of February, we see, hear or preach about our call to love one another. We celebrate life and health and love.

But it is also very important to remember as a church that we are called to minister to the broken hearted. That sometimes is overwhelming. We see heartbreak every day. People are lonely, people are hungry, people are scared, people are are anxiety ridden, people are sick, people are grieving, people are facing uncertainty, going through trauma (some seen and some unseen) and people, our nation and the world are divided. We need to pay attention and be aware of the things that break people’s hearts. Sometimes it is not making space for someone FEBRUARY CALLER February 2025 Caller - Volume 37, number 2 else’s feelings or thoughts that breaks someone’s heart. Not listening when someone needs to be heard. Or not realizing that what is joyfilled for one person may be heart breaking for another.

As a divorced single woman, I have jokingly called Valentine’s Day, Singles Awareness Day and the acronym is S.A.D. I do love Valentine’s Day and I am very comfortable with the celebrations, but I am acutely aware of what that day may feel like to those who have had separations, divorces, deaths and other issues that have caused them to be in a single situation. This is just one example of where we can have the eyes of Jesus to see that not everyone is in the same place as us.

We don’t have to know all the details, we don’t have to agree, we don’t need to judge, we don’t have to have all the skills but we do have to love! Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” No conditions. No buts. No questions.

That is what ministry is about. So let’s love – let’s listen – let’s be aware – let’s learn and then let’s come close to the broken-hearted. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”. And we are called to do likewise.

Let us Love with the Love of Christ,

Pastor Carolyn