You know the routine; picking out that special card with just the right verse, dinner out, then that special gift—an upscale box of candy or perhaps some flowers. 

The historical background of Valentine's day seems to go back to several Christian martyrs named "Valentine" who died while standing up for love and religious beliefs. The first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love is in a poem Parlement of Foules (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer: 

This poem was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia. A treaty providing for a marriage was signed on May 2, 1381. (When they were married eight months later, he was 13 or 14. She was 14.)  

So how did Valentine's day go from martyrs to romantic love? That I'm not sure of, but now Valentine's day is all about our feelings toward that special person. However, I can't help think about the martyrs, and how their sacrifices helped to build a strong foundation for the Christian faith. And I can't help think about what gift would last beyond candies or roses - and therefore have more meaning. 

In the summer – when Elizabeth and I were in the United States – we drove through a community that was home to many illegal immigrants. The people we saw were obviously disadvantaged – poor in terms of money and things. In particular, I remember a young woman, wedding band on her finger, with a baby in her arms. She smiled and nodded to us. And as I look back on this, I can't help wonder what her husband will do for her on Valentine's Day. She seemed to have very little more than her love for the child in her arms. He may work for a landscaping company, or a builder, making wages lower than minimum wage. No insurance, no worker's compensation, no healthcare. But he can't complain, or he will be reported. He is doing the best he can. He has sacrificed everything — as has she — for the hope that their children will have a better life someday. He is a martyr – and so is she.


 

I am sure he loves his wife as dearly as any other man does, and that he feels badly in his heart that he can't do better for her... and Valentine's Day is coming. It is unlikely that there will be a box of candy, dinner out or even flowers. It will be just like any other day – a day of work and struggle. So what will his gift, this Valentine's Day, be to his wife - the most important person in the world to him? What can he give her that would be better than a card, flowers, or a box of candy? Or maybe he has already given her the cleverest Valentine's gift of all . . . .      his entire life.

May we be mindful that Valentine’s Day is a celebration of relationship and love – not things… and love is of God. 


Rev. Scott Hunter