Pastor Clayton ~ February
Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15: 12–13
When most people think about love, they don’t often think about beheadings. Yet that’s exactly why Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14 each year. While the focus of the day is now on romantic love, giving gifts, and sharing candy, the origin of the day comes from a celebration of the Church.
Valentine’s Day gets both its name and its date from a man known as Saint Valentine. The story goes that he was a priest during the 3rd century who defied the emperor’s demands. This emperor believed that young men would be more likely to join the army if they did not have a wife and children to worry about, and so he set a ban on marriage. Valentine, knowing that God instituted marriage and that it is a reflection of Jesus’ love for the Church, decided to follow his Lord instead of listening to this misguided leader.
Young couples wishing to be married would come to him, and so that they would not have to live in sin, Valentine would marry them. Eventually the emperor heard of what was happening and sent forces to arrest him. When Valentine was brought before the authorities, he was told to deny Christ and cease marrying people, or else be put to death. On February 14th, 270 AD, Valentine was martyred, put to death for his faith, by beheading.
Later in history, the day of his martyrdom became the day the Church remembered and commemorated Valentine, eventually giving him the title of saint. Still to this day, we remember his life and actions, yet we don’t do so because he defied authority. Rather he is remembered because of his faith in Christ and how, even when faced with death, he followed God and clung to Him.
So as you get ready for St. Valentine’s Day, yes, still celebrate with others your love for them. Give them some chocolate and gifts. Maybe even look for cards that say, “I’m losing my head over you.” Yet as you celebrate, don’t also forget why the day is there in the first place. It’s there to remember a man who loved Christ’s people in the same way Jesus loved them. In his life and through his faith, Valentine showed the love of Christ, who laid down His life for you, for Valentine, and for the world. And that is something worth celebrating with others.
Blessings,
Pastor Bryce
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