Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day!            What will you do fellas?

Serve her breakfast in bed?            Clean the house?            Do laundry?

Maybe you prefer the more standard gifts? Flowers, candy, card, jewelry, take her out to eat?

Did you know? Valentine's Day is the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas.

Did you know? 85% of all Valentine’s Cards are purchased by women?  (c’mon men!)

Why do we do these things or give these gifts anyway?            What is the point?

And who was Saint Valentine? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus- one a priest in Rome, another a bishop in Terni, and the third in Africa, all of whom were martyred (supposedly on 14th Feb.).

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure.

So… Valentine’s Day, a day to celebrate, share, and demonstrate love!

Folks, I would suggest to you that we do the same thing, not just on February 14, but on each Lord’s Day. Every Sunday that we gather together we celebrate and share God’s love for us, and then attempt to demonstrate it in our daily living.

I. What reason do we have to celebrate?            Romans 5:6-8 tells us!

             “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (NIV)

We weren’t worthy of flowers or cards or candy… let alone the death of an innocent man dying in our place… we were/are sinners, but yet God demonstrates His love and sacrifices His Son!

Folks we were lost and doomed to Hell.

“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”  1 Cor. 6:9-11 NIV

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”  Eph. 2:1-5 NIV

Folks if that isn’t cause for celebration, then we have none.

II. Not only do we celebrate, we share, because God shares.

“For God so loved the world that He gave…”

The Anguishing Choice
 After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the church’s pastor once again slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit, and gave a very brief introduction of his childhood friend. With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit to speak, “A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific Coast,” he began, “when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright, and the three were swept into the ocean.”

The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story. He continued, “Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life: to which boy he would throw the other end of the line. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian, and he also knew that his son’s friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves. As the father yelled out, ‘I love you, son!’ he threw the line to his son’s friend.”

“By the time he pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beyond the raging swells into the black of night. His body was never recovered.”

By this time, the two teenagers were sitting straighter in the pew, waiting for the next words to come out of the old man’s mouth. “The father,” he continued, “knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus, and he could not bear the thought of his son’s friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son. How great is the love of God that He should do the same for us.” With that, the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room.

Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man’s side. “That was a nice story,” politely started one of the boys, “but I don’t think it was very realistic for a father to give up his son’s life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian.”

“Well, you’ve got a point there,” the old man replied, glancing down at his worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face, and he once again looked up at the boys and said, “It sure isn’t very realistic, is it? But I’m standing here today to tell you that THAT story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His son for me. You see, I was the son’s friend.”

That’s a great story! You’ve probably heard it many times. It warms the heart and stirs the emotions, and even causes us to think about God’s love.  It was published in a book in 2000, but was based on a story plot written in 1954. But it’s just that… a story.

I stand here, not to tell you a story, but to tell you the truth, and the truth is this –

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”  John 3:16-17 NIV

Early Christians shared in the love of God with one another as we read in Acts 2 -

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs  NIVperformed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, NIV

We continue in this sharing.

III. How do we demonstrate our love for God?

1) By continuing to gather together like we are here now as a witness to a watching             world

2) By sharing God’s love with others outside the church, that they may come to know             Him

“11Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others… 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again… 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:11-21 NIV)