Skip to main content

Valentine's Day

Here we are on what is known as the most romantic holiday of the year. I confess, really enjoy it. With three girls and a wife, it is a way to "win" in relationship with them. Flowers, cards and chocolates make them feel special. We are a pretty affectionate family, and it is one more good reason to be that way.

The history of holidays always intrigues me. Almost everything that we celebrate in the US comes from a Roman Catholic holy day. As most well know, they celebrate the lives of canonized saints; this is just another one. Most of the saints were "certified" men and woman of God who preformed verified miracles. Their contributions to Catholic Christianity are pretty well documented. On the other hand, there is a fuss in some parts of the church calling this day secular, or pagan... and it is both... sort of.

Valentine's Day was holy day until 1969 when it became fully secular as it is today. However; while it was a Holy Day, it was set aside, like many Roman holidays, to compete with a non-Christian pagan rituals that took place at the time. This is true for Christmas, Halloween, St. Patrick's Day and Easter. We have the blending of spiritual achievement, pagan ritual and plain ol' fun on these holidays.

I guess some folks take these holidays to the point of sin. I mean it's all about romance and lust and the flesh, right? NO! This is where the church can step in and be the example. I try to tell the real story when it comes to holidays. The story of the real birth of Jesus, the real raise-the-dead St. Patrick, and yes St. Valentine too!

Let's get a little un-religious for moment. These holidays are tributes to men that set an example with their faith. St. Patrick and St. Valentine along with countless others gave their lives for the cause of Christianity. They were beheaded, beaten, stoned, burned and tortured. Like our brothers and sisters in some Asian and Muslim countries; they did not denounce their faith in the face of death.

Valentines day, it is all about hearts and love. How is your heart? Do you love Jesus enough to give your life for Him?

Here is a the real St. Valentine story. LINK

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mad Libs: An Unforgettable Church Service

Hopefully you have heard of Mad Libs (R) ! They are stories that you blindly fill in the blanks for articles of grammar and then read the completed story. Since I was a kid, these have always been a hoot. I decided to make up my own. Just fill in the blanks next time you are at small group and then read it back. It is sure to shake up a few religious spirits. An Unforgettable Church Service We arrived at _________ ( time of day ) at the Church of the Holy _________ ( noun ). It was ___________ ( day of week ) and we got out of the _________ ( mode of transportation ). We were dressed in our __________ ( day of week ) best. We all held _________ ( plural body part ) as we crossed the street. Today was special because it was ___________ (holiday) and the kids look forward to receiving _________ ( noun ) as part of the celebration. Pastor _________ ( name ) was there to greet us and shake our ________ ( body part ). He welcomed my __________ ( family member ) with a big _________ ( bodil...

Touchdown Jesus! - Vessels of Grace and Channels of Power

My blog title is grammatically correct. Jesus did not get a touchdown, that was the nickname a 62 foot tall, upper torso sculpture, of Jesus was given. The sculpture, off I-75 in southern Ohio, was struck by lightening and burned to the ground. HERE  is the Yahoo News story. I an not going to segue into some prophetic sign of how the End Times are upon is. Much more interesting, and relevant, are the comments on the article by some 3,500+ readers. Here is one by Joshua - "God and Jesus was just made up in a book too. Same with Lucifer and every other angel. Anyone who says Zues is just made up cant prove it. Nor can anyone prove Jesus or God is too. Anyone can write a book and make up some higher being and some poor fools will buy into it." This is one of my favorites from What122: "I wonder if their insurance will cover it, or will the insurance company say it was an act of God?" One commenter characterizes Christianity by using the Bible against itself. Be...

God is Great, Beer is Good, and People are Crazy

There was a discussion on Facebook today about how some people think Christians are "whack jobs." Regardless, God is still great. I don't really know much about beer. I haven't had one in just about 30 years. There are a lot of folks that consider themselves to be Christian. Some because they do good, and others because they have faith in God or are born again-- and others because they grew up in a Christian denomination. Far be it from me to decide who is in, and who is out. Some say we'll be surprised at who is going to be there, and others say who think they are in will be surprised when they are rejected at the Pearly Gates. Hmmm... But let's say you are a real Christian who is feeling passionate about doing something for God. You know something beyond throwing a few bucks in the offering plate and trying to be a good person. The church calls it service or ministry, which could include such things as: reading scriptures on Sunday morning, planning a harves...