The Heart of the Matter: Faith, Art, and the Power of Storytelling on Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day often brings with it an expectation to celebrate romantic love, but at its core, love is a much deeper, richer narrative that has been told through centuries of art, scripture, and human experience. This year, as the world places an emphasis on the commercialized trappings of the holiday, let’s pause and explore how storytelling and art connect us to the truest forms of love: the love of God and the love shared in community. Through the lens of faith and creativity, we can rediscover the meaning of love that transcends fleeting gestures and instead, touches on the eternal love that defines who we are and how we relate to one another.
The Power of Storytelling
Storytelling is as old as humanity itself. It’s through stories that we pass on our deepest values, our most sacred beliefs, and the profound experiences that define who we are. At the heart of storytelling is love—the selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love that often defies logic and expectation. This kind of love is present in the parables Jesus told, stories that continue to echo across centuries. Take, for example, the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). It isn’t a tale of romantic love or familial affection, but a story that shows love in its most selfless form. The Samaritan cared for the wounded man not because of a shared bond, but because of an inherent, compassionate love for all of humanity. Through this parable, we see that love isn’t bound by blood, circumstance, or familiarity—it’s a choice, a calling to care for others no matter their background or condition.
In our lives, we often share stories that are rooted in love: the love of a parent, the bond between siblings, the devotion between friends, and the enduring love between spouses. These personal stories offer insights into what love looks like in action—sometimes messy, sometimes imperfect, but always powerful. Storytelling allows us to connect with each other, to learn from each other's experiences, and to find solace in knowing we are not alone in our journey through life. Through these stories, we realize that love in its purest form is not an emotion, but a conscious act of giving, forgiving, and embracing one another in all our humanity.
Station 12 of the Stations of the Cross, Kirk in the Hills Lent art exhibit, 2019
Art and Faith
The connection between art and faith has been a significant one throughout history. From the early Christian icons to the Renaissance masterpieces, artists have used their craft to explore and express love, sacrifice, and devotion in profound ways. Think about the iconic depiction of Christ on the cross—whether it's the somber tones of the Stations of the Cross or the bright and vivid brushstrokes of Renaissance altarpieces, these images help us to reflect on love that is both divine and sacrificial. Artists, through their faith and creativity, have captured the moment when God's love reached its ultimate expression: through sacrifice.
But the role of art isn't just limited to the past. Contemporary artists continue to create works that explore love through the lens of faith—whether through abstract expressions of grace or the depiction of real-world acts of kindness. Art, when it resonates with us, opens a door to deeper reflection. It invites us to see love in unexpected places: in the faces of strangers, in the beauty of nature, in the quiet moments of grace. When we view art that is rooted in faith, we are reminded that love is not just a concept; it is something we encounter, experience, and live through every day.
Art offers a way to visualize and grasp the intangible truths of faith. It shapes how we understand love—not just as an emotion, but as something to be practiced, something that can be witnessed, embodied, and expressed through action. It deepens our faith by reminding us that love isn’t simply an abstract ideal but is something tangible, something real that we can see, feel, and participate in through the creative process.
Potluck mural, David Fichter, 1994
Mural shows a multiethnic gathering of Central Square residents enjoying a meal together as a sign of love. The 22-by-100-foot mural used about 20 gallons of acrylic paint and took four months to complete with the help of volunteers.
Redefining Love
In a world dominated by the consumer-driven culture of Valentine’s Day, it’s easy for the meaning of love to become distorted. We’re often taught that love is something to be purchased, something to be measured by material gifts, heart-shaped cards, or a grand romantic gesture. But the love portrayed in scripture speaks to something far richer, deeper, and more transformative. In the Bible, love is not about grand displays of affection; it’s about service, compassion, and grace.
Take 1 Corinthians 13, often called the “Love Chapter,” which outlines the characteristics of love: it’s patient, kind, humble, and without pride. Love, according to Paul, is not about “feeling” a certain way—it’s about “doing” certain things. It is a love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. This love is selfless, not seeking its own, but seeking the well-being of others.
Moreover, the love that Jesus taught us is sacrificial. In John 15:13, Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” This kind of love is not easy—it’s not about what we can gain, but about what we can give. It’s the love of the Good Samaritan, the love of a parent sacrificing for their child, the love of a friend who walks alongside us in difficult times.
If we want to truly embrace love in the spirit of Lent and beyond, we need to reject the shallow, transactional views of love often pushed by commercial interests. Instead, we need to reflect on how love looks when it’s embodied in service, in sacrifice, and in grace. Love in the Bible is a calling to give of ourselves to others, especially those who are in need. It is the kind of love that calls us to serve our communities, to share our time, and to show up for one another in ways that can be inconvenient, uncomfortable, or even costly. It’s not about what we can buy or what we can receive—it’s about what we can give, and how we can share the love that God has shown us with the world.
As you reflect on love this Valentine's Day, I invite you to shift the focus from external expectations to internal transformation. Whether through creating, reflecting, or simply being present with loved ones, may the love that we express in the world be rooted in something far deeper than the surface-level interpretations of the day. Love is the story that continues to shape our hearts, our relationships, and our faith—may we continue to tell it, through art, through words, and through action.
