Here are some thoughts on the upcoming V-day weekend, written by Chip & Hope a few years ago.
Different authorities believe Valentine’s Day began in various ways.
Some say it started from:
Roman festival ---Lupercalia
Others say it is linked with 2 Christian saints and the early church
--One story tells that Roman Emperor Claudius II in AD 200’s forbade young men to marry. The emperor thought single men made better soldiers. A priest named Valentine disobeyed the emperor’s order and secretly married young couples.
--Another story says Valentine was an early Christian who made friends with many children. The Romans imprisoned him because he refused to worship their gods. The children missed Valentine and tossed loving notes between the bars of his cell window. This tale may explain why people exchange messages on Valentine’s Day. Many stories say that Valentine was executed on February 14 about A.D. 269 in and in A.D. 496 Pope Gelasius named February 14 as St. Valentine’s Day.
Lastly, an old English belief was that birds choose their mate on Feb. 14
--Geoffrey Chaucer, an English poet of 1300’s, wrote in The Parliament of Fowls, “For this was on St. Valentine’s Day/When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate.”
Valentine’s Day probably came from a combination of the three of those sources – plus the belief that spring is a time for lovers.
Valentine’s Day Around the World:
In
--Some areas of
--In
--In
--In
Early Valentine’s Day customs:
--Englishwomen of the 1700’s wrote men’s names on scraps of paper, rolled each in a little piece of clay, and dropped them all into water. The first paper that rose to the surface supposedly had the name of a woman’s true love.
--One description of Valentine’s Day during the Medieval times tells us when a chivalrous fellow courted his pretty maiden, the couple was to make known their affection by wearing a paper heart on their sleeve. For several days, each man wore his valentines’ name on his sleeve. The cliche “wearing his heart on his sleeve” probably came from this practice.
It’s obvious that there are many ways to celebrate this “day of love”. Early Christians celebrated it more as a religious holiday to remember Saint Valentine who gave his life for the gospel.
We celebrate by giving cards and candy to our family and friends.
The truth is the celebration and expression of LOVE came long before any of these people or customs. It began when God created Adam and Eve so that He could express His love to someone. Love has to be shown, given and expressed it can’t be kept to itself. The Bible tells us God is Love and LOVE GAVE us His precious son Jesus to die for us and show His love.
Jn 15:13 says “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (put your life on the line for your friends…(message)—)stand up for them when no one else will or when others are talking behind their back.
Jn 13:34-35 says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, love each other--this is how every one will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see that you love one another.”
The Bible even takes it one step further in Matt 5:44, 46
(the Message Translation)
Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty.
Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.
It might help to place in front of your mind that person who is most disagreeable to you—the person who drives you nuts—who gets under your skin—who gets all the good grades, all the awards, all the lucky breaks—scores the most points –all the attention—who is just plain obnoxious sometimes. Picture that person for just a minute.
Do you accept that person like Christ accepts you? Is it possible?
Yes, because the source for that love is the Spirit within us. We are all sinners with ugly junk - what right should we have to reject someone else? He loves and accepts us just as we are. HE KNOWS ALL ABOUT US - the good and the bad!
Love doesn't mean that you like every one equally, or that you will spend the same amount of time with people whose mannerisms are difficult for you to respond to. It does not mean that we give in to their every desire. But it does mean that we should put HIM first, and others second. We must not just love the people that are easy to love, and shun or push away the others. We must welcome difficult people just the same way God welcomes us.
Valentine’s Day is a great time to think about Jesus our greatest lover and friend, and about family and friends we care about. Also, to remember that love is not just about caring or being nice to people we like, but also asking God to help us love those that seem unlovable so we can be more like Him.
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