Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, my favorite day to go to Kroger and smile at all the last minute people who are swinging by to get all sorts of heart-shaped oddities, from the normal flowers and chocolates to the more creative things like a "beer bouquet" that I saw earlier this week (it looks exactly like it sounds). It is always fun to see what sort of crazy things you can purchase to express your love to another on this Hallmark holiday. I love Valentine's Day, but I roll my eyes at the many different commercials and ads marketing everything in the world to celebrate our loved ones.
Valentine's Day is supposedly named for an early Christian priest who was martyred for helping young Christians get married, but the details of this original St. Valentine are so murky that, in 1969, the Catholic Church removed him from the official list of saints. Whomever this holiday is celebrating, and why-ever it came into popularity aside, this is a day that we as Christ followers should get behind, because our faith hinges on love. If you remember the teachings of Jesus, the greatest commandments are to love God and to love your neighbors as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). We are to live each day by striving to love God and always learning how to love our neighbors. These two tasks are never easy or simple, but it is our calling.
So here's my Valentine's Day challenge to you: if you can, celebrate your loved ones well. But most importantly, take time in the day to express your love for God. This can be through a moment of quiet prayer, or in a reading of scripture, or taking time to give thanks for the gifts of God around you.
In addition, take a moment tomorrow to love a neighbor, whether it be a physical neighbor or someone you randomly pass in your daily life. Take a moment to show love, whether it be through a gift, a kind word, or a moment to help.
Hallmark and the grocery store entrances sell us a pretty day of chocolates and indulgence that sometimes falls short. How much more beautiful would it be for us to lean into the love that Christ calls us towards?
I can't think of a better way to celebrate a holiday built to sell love than by actually loving well. This is how they will know we are Christians, by our love (John 13:35).