Should Christians Celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day is around the corner again, and I want to say to you “Happy Valentine”. What! Which kind of greeting is this from a child of God? Probably this is what comes to your mind when I said to you “Happy Valentine”.

I quite understand your ill-feeling towards Valentine greeting particularly when you bring to mind the activities that do happen on Valentine’s Day. When you remember how destinies of many young people are ruined on this day every year, all in the name of celebrating Valentine’s Day! Many lost their bearing in life on this day and they never recover again up till this moment in the journey of their lives and destinies.

Putting all these and many evils that are being perpetrated yearly on this day, I can understand how you don’t expect a Christian to promote Valentine’s Day not to even talk of any Christian exchanging Valentine greeting.

Hear me, saying happy Valentine to you is never an error and celebrating the day will not ordinarily make you an enemy of God but the issue is what do you do or rather what are you planning to do on this day? How do you plan to celebrate it?

Do you know that Valentine Day originated as a Christian feast day? Yes, it is a Christian feast day honouring a martyr named Valentine. It is called Valentine’s Day and it is also known as Saint Valentine’s Day or the feast of Saint Valentine, it is celebrated annually on the 14^th February. Although the day has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world, but the fact still remains that the origin is that of a Christian feast day. The first thing I want you to know this year if you have not known it before is that Valentine’s Day has its origin from the Christian faith!

Second, if Valentine’s Day is about the celebration of love, I ask you, who else should understand and celebrate love if not the Christians? Our God whom we serve is define as love, His other appropriate name is love, “because God is love.” 1 Jn 4:8.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 Jn 4:7-8

Our calling is that of love, love God and love also your neighbor. This is simply our major task as Christian (Mt 22:37-39). Apostle Paul went further in 1 Cor 13:1-13 to say that whatever you choose to do as a person in the name of God and prove of your salvation without love is worthless. This is how serious the issue of Love is to Christianity.

Now tell me, who else should celebrate Valentine’s Day if not Christians like you and I? the issue is that we have let the world define this day and we have left the celebration in their hands for too long that instead of celebrating love on this day what people now celebrate is lust!

They have made the day to look like the day to celebrate fornication and adultery, they have made it look like a perfect day for the unmarried virgin lady and young men to lose their virginity. They have made it to look as if sex is equal to love, this is not true! What is true and what the bible told us is that God is Love. Sex outside marriage even on a Valentine Day is a sin, don’t be deceived to think otherwise!

You and I can change this erroneous narrative about Valentine’s Day. The question now is how do we celebrate Valentine’s Day as Christian? Please permit me to address the youth first because they are the major victim of all the atrocities of the Valentine’s Day! Many of our ladies and young men lost their virginity on this day in a very regrettable and careless way. Some had their first kiss on this day and they never recover again until they ended up on the fornication bed that same year, they couldn’t control the progression from the careless first kiss on the Valentine’s Day until they lost their much prized virginity in the same year. These are true life sad experiences!

For the single and unmarried, it is a day to pledge your love once again to God Almighty, it is a day to show love in a special way to people around you (your parents, siblings, neighbours, friends etc.), it is a good day to give gifts to people who matter to you; at least God also gave us Jesus Christ to prove His love towards us.

While I cannot claim to have given you exhaustive list of what can be done on the Valentine’s Day, please permit me to tell you that it is not a day to have sex if you are not married, it is not a day to feed your flesh with kissing and romance even if you want us to believe that the person involve is your would be husband. Remember, not all relationships lead to marriage. God’s instruction to you is to Flee:

 “Abstain from every form of evil [withdraw and keep away from it].” 1 Thess. 5:22

Are you in a relationship which is heading towards marriage? Congratulations to you but please know that Valentine’s Day is not the day for you to have sex, it is not the day for you to go behind closed door with very dark light, that will be an open invitation for the devil to take charge and lead proceedings.

It is however a perfect day for both of you to eat out together if you can afford it (don’t put yourself under any undue pressure if you cannot afford it at this time), it is a time to exchange gifts (you don’t need to break a bank to do this but please do it), it is a good time to visit places of interest together, it is a good time to visit your families and friends together as you are preparing to start your home and it is also a perfect day to pray together in a location where the devil cannot suddenly take over the proceedings (remember you are still human).

For the married, Valentine’s Day is not the day to take your partner for granted. As a rule of thumb ensure that you tell your partner how much you love him/her before anyone else tells them “Happy Valentine” on that day. Don’t allow your partner to go into the world on that day looking for who will tell them “Happy Valentine” when you are still alive and healthy.

For the married, please note that it is another perfect day to enjoy early morning sex if you are both comfortable with the idea. I have seen Christian couples having issues because of the failure of one or both failing to show any act of love and appreciation on Valentine’s Day. You might think this should be a non-issue, but I tell you that this has led into big issues in some Christian homes. I beg you, please do not take your partner for granted.

If your schedule can accommodate it, eat out on this day, you can also cook special delicacies and eat at home together. Give gifts, make it a day of reconciliation if there is something to resolve (although I am not suggesting that you need to wait till Valentine’s Day before resolving issues in your home).

Your God is love, celebrate love without any hindrance in your home, send messages to your spouse while at work, ensure that you make the day count differently in your home. Christianity doesn’t say you cannot be romantic! Please don’t hide under the garment of Christianity to be unkind and uncaring to your spouse, show him/her love. It is Christlike to show love

This is the conclusion of the matter; have you been planning to celebrate this year Valentine’s Day in the way of the world? Kindly have a re-think and change your plan. Don’t allow anyone to take undue advantage of you on a day that originally started as a Saint day and a day that is meant to celebrate love. Valentine’s Day is not a day to disobey God’s instruction, it is not a day to join the world in sexcapade. It is rather a day to celebrate love and remember that God is Love. 1 Jn 4:8

Once again, I say to you my friends and families “Happy Valentine’s Day to you” and don’t forget to send my gift because I love you sincerely.

To my one and only wife, Oladoyin, I say “Happy Valentine’s Day my love, I love you every day.

Your Friend & Pastor,
The Rev’d (Engr.) Elijah Oladotun Oladeji
dotunelect@yahoo.co.uk

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