Valentine’s, Ash Wednesday, & Lent
* Consider with me two celebrations that happen during the month of February. They are just three days apart: Valentine’s Day & Ash Wednesday. But let us look into these two days.
* First, let’s look at Valentine’s Day – It is a day when we open our hearts and show our love to people close to us by giving chocolates… take them to nice restaurants… maybe a bouquet of red roses… that celebration is celebrated by most segments of the population – from school children to people in nursing homes; Christians and non-believers. It seems that a red heart is always present in cards, boxes of chocolate, and everything connected with Valentines. As Christians we should have no problems in celebrating Valentine’s Day because it celebrates love – especially now as it seems that love is growing colder all over the world.
* Supposedly the Valentine’s celebration started in honor of St. Valentine. We do not know much about him, but we do know that he showed care and love to all people he met independently of their status, age, or race. Some historians say it is derived from the day (February 15) when the Romans originally celebrated love – called Lupercalia. Others even say that it comes from the approximate time when birds started to mate and plants began to bloom (Obviously not in our area). Whatever the case may be, Valentine’s Day as we know it began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. And, by the middle of the 18th century, it was common for friends and couples to exchange gifts or cards.
* Here we are observing two dates in the calendar. As Christians, how do we participate in the pink-and-red festivities while observing the magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice? Let’s look at the meaning of Ash Wednesday and see what Scripture says.
* Well, Ash Wednesday… being the first day of Lent – It is the forty days period that reminds us of the time Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, and the time for our preparation for Holy Week – a time for repentance and closeness to Christ as we walk with Him to Jerusalem. So, on Ash Wednesday we are marked with the sign of the cross on our foreheads… with ashes to remind us of our mortality… but also to remind us of the wonderful news that on the cross Jesus finished the plan of salvation as He said, “IT IS FINISHED!” And that forgiveness is ours.
* So we have two celebrations, one of human love, and one of God’s love for all and there are some striking differences in my opinion:
A. For Valentine’s we give presents and cards to people we like/love – we leave all others out; at Ash Wednesday we begin the celebration of God giving His Son to the WHOLE world;
B. For Valentine’s we usually give and receive gifts that have SOME value, but are reminded that God gives us the GREATEST gift ever given as a SACRIFICE;
* Also I feel that maybe Valentine’s day could be celebrated after Lent… Why you ask? Well, the apostle John said, “We love each other because he loved us first.” 1 John 4:19. So, I want you to first look at Ash Wednesday… to Lent… to the Cross… and learn from there to LOVE! The world looks at Valentine’s as a stand alone celebration, but it makes much more sense if we first look at the love of God for us as He allowed Jesus to be crucified for us and then go from there and implement that love in our lives. Then Valentine’s can truly be a celebration of love – then we will see the big picture.
* As Christians, we know that Jesus and the sacrifice He made will remain forever. It is the foundation of who we are for the rest of eternity: CHILDREN OF GOD. Therefore, as Paul says, “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” Col 3:2. Make sure that your Valentine’s day is a wonderful reminder of the love of God… of the sacrifice of Jesus for you. Take time to pray, to meditate, to serve as Jesus did, to share love – follow the lead of Jesus and you will be surprised how wonderful it can be if it is celebrated with cross of Jesus as its foundation.
Rev. Don Sonntag
* Consider with me two celebrations that happen during the month of February. They are just three days apart: Valentine’s Day & Ash Wednesday. But let us look into these two days.
* First, let’s look at Valentine’s Day – It is a day when we open our hearts and show our love to people close to us by giving chocolates… take them to nice restaurants… maybe a bouquet of red roses… that celebration is celebrated by most segments of the population – from school children to people in nursing homes; Christians and non-believers. It seems that a red heart is always present in cards, boxes of chocolate, and everything connected with Valentines. As Christians we should have no problems in celebrating Valentine’s Day because it celebrates love – especially now as it seems that love is growing colder all over the world.
* Supposedly the Valentine’s celebration started in honor of St. Valentine. We do not know much about him, but we do know that he showed care and love to all people he met independently of their status, age, or race. Some historians say it is derived from the day (February 15) when the Romans originally celebrated love – called Lupercalia. Others even say that it comes from the approximate time when birds started to mate and plants began to bloom (Obviously not in our area). Whatever the case may be, Valentine’s Day as we know it began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. And, by the middle of the 18th century, it was common for friends and couples to exchange gifts or cards.
* Here we are observing two dates in the calendar. As Christians, how do we participate in the pink-and-red festivities while observing the magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice? Let’s look at the meaning of Ash Wednesday and see what Scripture says.
* Well, Ash Wednesday… being the first day of Lent – It is the forty days period that reminds us of the time Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, and the time for our preparation for Holy Week – a time for repentance and closeness to Christ as we walk with Him to Jerusalem. So, on Ash Wednesday we are marked with the sign of the cross on our foreheads… with ashes to remind us of our mortality… but also to remind us of the wonderful news that on the cross Jesus finished the plan of salvation as He said, “IT IS FINISHED!” And that forgiveness is ours.
* So we have two celebrations, one of human love, and one of God’s love for all and there are some striking differences in my opinion:
A. For Valentine’s we give presents and cards to people we like/love – we leave all others out; at Ash Wednesday we begin the celebration of God giving His Son to the WHOLE world;
B. For Valentine’s we usually give and receive gifts that have SOME value, but are reminded that God gives us the GREATEST gift ever given as a SACRIFICE;
* Also I feel that maybe Valentine’s day could be celebrated after Lent… Why you ask? Well, the apostle John said, “We love each other because he loved us first.” 1 John 4:19. So, I want you to first look at Ash Wednesday… to Lent… to the Cross… and learn from there to LOVE! The world looks at Valentine’s as a stand alone celebration, but it makes much more sense if we first look at the love of God for us as He allowed Jesus to be crucified for us and then go from there and implement that love in our lives. Then Valentine’s can truly be a celebration of love – then we will see the big picture.
* As Christians, we know that Jesus and the sacrifice He made will remain forever. It is the foundation of who we are for the rest of eternity: CHILDREN OF GOD. Therefore, as Paul says, “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” Col 3:2. Make sure that your Valentine’s day is a wonderful reminder of the love of God… of the sacrifice of Jesus for you. Take time to pray, to meditate, to serve as Jesus did, to share love – follow the lead of Jesus and you will be surprised how wonderful it can be if it is celebrated with cross of Jesus as its foundation.
Rev. Don Sonntag