Here is a worshipful activity inspired by the life of St Valentine we shared last Sunday.
Opening Prayer
Remember that verse when ‘Jesus said to his friends, `Come away with me. Let us go alone to a quiet place and rest for a while.’ That is what we might do now. Rest a while with our hearts turned to Jesus.
Love Letter Worship – paper, pens, envelopes.
This Tuesday is Valentines day.
The details are a little sketchy but here is some information gathered from around the web. St Valentine was a priest from Rome who lived in the third century AD.
He was a priest at a time when there was an emperor called Claudius II who persecuted the church and ordered all Romans to worship the state religion’s idols. He had made it a crime punishable by death to associate with Christians.
Emperor Claudius II was having trouble getting soldiers to join his military legions. He believed that the reason was that Roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. As a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome.
Valentine was dedicated to the ideals of Christ, and not even the threat of death could keep him from practicing his beliefs. Valentine and St Marius aided the Christian martyrs and secretly married couples.
Valentine was eventually caught, imprisoned and tortured for performing marriage ceremonies. There are legends surrounding Valentine’s actions while in prison.
One of the men who was to judge him in line with the Roman law at the time was a man called Asterius, whose daughter was blind. Valentine was supposed to have prayed with and healed the young girl with such astonishing effect that Asterius himself became Christian as a result.
In the year 269 AD, Valentine was sentenced to a three part execution of a beating, stoning, and finally decapitation all because of his stand for marriage.
The story goes that the last words he wrote were in a loving note to Asterius’ daughter signing it, “from your Valentine.” on February 14th, the day of his execution, as a final goodbye.
His remains were given to an Irish priest, John Spratt in 1835 by Pope Gregory XVI.
Moment of Worship
Inspired by the memory of this man we may write our own notes of love to God who is love today.
Take a moment to write or draw a note to God, it won’t be seen by anyone, just and opportunity to spend a moment in worship.
Play track ‘Not in a Hurry’ by Will Reagan and United Pursuit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvfCWpRKCnk
Closing quote
Father Pedro Arrupe (1903- 1991) from the Basque region of Spain said:
Finding and falling in love with God really does change everything in a way that is totally transformative of our lives.
Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is,
than falling in love in a quite absolute final way.
What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination,
will affect everything.
It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekend,
what you read, who you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in love,
stay in love,
and it will decide everything.
Play clip ‘See the Love’ by the Brilliance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9dBcE4A6l8
