How Christians Should Celebrate Valentine's Day

How Christians Should Celebrate Valentine’s Day
1 Corinthians 13:8-13
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
9For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
10But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Thursday is Valentine’s Day.
For those who aren’t aware f it…
Brother Gene has a tradition for the special days in a year.
So this Thursday Gene will take his wife Evalyn to Wal-Mart…
they will stand together in the Greeting cards section
and Gene will read the Valentine Cards to her.
Now, that seems to work fine for Gene…
But I doubt that many men could get away with that.

I asked Pat what she wanted for Valentine’s Day…
And she said “nothing”.
I suppose I’ll find out Friday if she was telling the truth!
Have you ever wondered how Valentine’s Day got started?
Here’s the story:
Approximately 250 years after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, there was a priest by the name of Valentine. He lived in Rome. At that time, Claudius was the Emperor of Rome. Some people called him Claudius the Cruel. St. Valentine didn’t like Emperor Claudius, and he wasn’t the only one! Many people felt the same way. Claudius wanted a big army. He thought men should volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to leave home and go off to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their girlfriends and wives. So, not many men volunteered for the Roman army. This made Emperor Claudius very angry. He had a crazy idea that if men were not married, they would be more inclined to join his army. So Claudius decreed that there would be no more marriages. Young people thought his new law was really cruel. Valentine thought it was ridiculous! One of his favorite duties as a priest was to marry people. After Emperor Claudius passed his law, Valentine kept on performing marriage ceremonies – but secretly. He would whisper the words of the ceremony, while listening for soldiers on the steps outside.
We’ll get more of the St. Valentine story a little later!
The title of today’s sermon is:

“How Christians Should Celebrate Valentine’s Day”.
Point #1
Stand up for the truth and proclaim the Gospel of God’s love
Psalm 40:9-10
9 I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness
In the great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips,
O LORD, You Yourself know.
10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth
From the great assembly.

Sometimes it is dangerous
to stand up against injustice, hatred, and prejudice.
Sometimes it is difficult to oppose the world’s view of things.
Sometimes it’s difficult to proclaim the truth of God’s Love.
But that is what St. Valentine did!
And that is what we are called to do!
1 Cor. 1:18 says:
For the message of the cross is foolishness