The Citizen, 2003-02-12, Page 23THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2003. PAGE 23.
From the Minister’s Study
Celebrating Valentine’s Day as Christians
By the Rev. Tom Wilson,
Trinity, Blyth
St John’s Brussels,
Anglican Churches
This week we celebrate
Valentine’s Day, which retailers tell
us is the single biggest day for sales
of candy and flowers. But for
Christians it can mean much more
than just a day to recognize those in
our lives whom we are most close to.
As with so many Christian
observances, Valentine’s Day began
as a pagan Roman ritual of coming
of age of young men. As the Roman
Empire became Christian, the Popes
looked for ways to change these
pagan feast days into Christian
observances.
Since the original Pagan ritual
dealt with boys becoming adult men
(with strong sexual overtones), the
church looked for a more suitable
patron saint of love. They found an
appropriate choice in Valentine,
who, in AD 270 had been beheaded
by Emperor Claudius.
Claudius had determined that
married men made poor soldiers. So
he banned marriage from his empire.
But Valentine would secretly marry
young men who came to him.
When Claudius found out about
Valentine, he first tried to convert
him to paganism. But Valentine
reversed the strategy, trying instead
to convert Claudius. When he failed,
he was imprisoned and eventually
put to death.
During the days that Valentine was
imprisoned, he fell in love with the
blind daughter of his jailer. His love
for her, and his great faith, managed
to miraculously heal her from her
blindness before his death. Before he
was taken to his death, he signed a
Majestic hosts euchre
The Majestic Women’s Institute
sponsored a soup and sandwich deal
followed by euchre in the Brussels
Library on Thursday, Feb. 6 with 30
in attendance.
Following the lunch the 50/50
Fundraiser
announced
Huron County for Children 'of
Chernobyl is pleased to announce a
new fundraising program to support
the Children of Chernobyl.
An agreement has been reached
with Carlson Wagonlit Ellison
Travel in Exeter and Goderich and
Continental Currency at Masonville
Place in London to accept travellers’
leftover currency (including coins)
as a donation to support the Children
of Chernobyl. Many travellers return
home with small amounts of foreign
currency that they often have no
further use for.
Currency can be dropped off or
mailed to Carlson Wagonlit Ellison
Travel or to the Continental
Currency office. Donations of $ 10 or
more will be issued a tax receipt
from Huron County for Children of
Chernobyl. The foreign currency
including coins will be processed by
Continental Currency. In some cases
foreign currency that is difficult to
process will be donated to UNICEF.
The goal of Huron County for
Children of Chernobyl is to provide
humanitarian aid and assistance to
the children who live in areas of
Belarus, which are still contaminated
by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of
1986. Daily life is difficult for the
people of Belarus. A bleak economic
situation is worsened by the
contaminated air, water and food,
resulting in weakened immune
systems and increased rates of
cancer - particularly thyroid cancer
and leukemia.
Lwiiiy "Water
CfiMut Tdltmfiip
draw was made with the winner
being Isabelle Craig.
The following won prizes in cards:
high lady, Mary Craig; high man,
Allan Edgar; low lady, Isabelle
Gray; low man, Leona Armstrong;
most lone hands, Lois Schneider,
Mervyn Schneider, Eileen Mann.
All players at number three tale
won a prize.
Lucky tallies were Dorothy
Dilworth, Bill Craig, Helen Gallop,
Eluned McNair, Isabelle Craig,
Stewart Musgrove, Viola Adams and
Rex Whaley.
farewell message to her,
“From your Valentine.” The
phrase has been used on his day ever
since.
Although the original pagan
coming of age ritual had been
banned by the Christian Church, the
mid-winter festival in
commemoration of St. Valentine was
still used by Roman men to seek the
affection of women. It became a
tradition for the men to give the ones
they admired handwritten messages
of affection, containing Valentine’s
name.
As Christians, we are called to
express our love and care for all
people. It can often be easier to
express this love to those in our
immediate families, and even to our
church families, that we gather with
each Sunday in worship.
But, we are called by Christ to
show our love to all. Holy Scripture
tells us in Mark 12:31, “You shall
love your neighbour as yourself.”
This great commandment makes it
clear that we are called to reach out
to all people in our world, not just
those most like us.
reaching out to those
than ourselves, both
communities, as well
world. Jesus Christ makes it clear,
we are not to judge others, but rather
to provide a positive, living example
of what Christian love is all about.
This can be a hard concept to live
with in a secular world where we are
constantly pressured to live only for
ourselves and our. immediate
families. We live in a world where
the “winner take all” attitude is very
strong. But if Christians are to
remain faithful to our baptismal
calling, we need to ignore the pull of
our secular world.
Instead, we must reach out to the
poor, the sick, the downtrodden, to
all those in need. All Christians are
called to be disciples; to demonstrate
the love of God, through Jesus Christ
in our lives. We must never judge
them, that is God’s job. For are there
any of us who are without sin?
As we observe Valentine’s Day
this week in giving cards, candy and
our love to those closest to us, why
not also reach out through donations
of your time or money to our
community organizations in Huron
County who help those less fortunate
than we are.
Why not reach out through a
donation, no matter how small or
large, through our various church
programs to those less fortunate in
our wider world. By doing so, we
are following our Lord and Saviour,
Jesus Christ and we have the
opportunity to express the love of
God to those less fortunate in our
world, just as St. Valentine did to
those he cared for all those centuries
ago.
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Sunday, February 16 W
HOLY EUCHARIST - 6TH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
This means
less fortunate
in our own
as across the
Trinity, Blyth
9:30 a.m.
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
The Rev. Tom Wilson, B.A., MDiv. 887-9273
£February 16 - Mark 1:40-45
x ’’FOLLOW ME
I # 3: Love - Put
p/ Yourself Out”
\ Potbless & Congregational
Meeting After
Christ-centred. Bible-believing,
Fellowship-friendly. Growth-geared
3
3
3
3
3
35
10:30 a.m. - Worship & Sunday School §
£ at Blyth Public School,
, * comer of King & Mill
J Pastor Ernest Dow - 523-4848
www.tcc.on.ca/~dowfam
3
3
St. Michael's
Roman Catholic Church
254 Drummond St. E., Blyth
Sunday Mass 9:00 a.m
Father Lance Magdziak, Pastor
519-527-0142
email: stjames@rcec.london.on.ca
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
11:00 a.m. - Morning Service
- Sunday School
9:30 a.m. - Belgrave Service
Wheelchair accessible
Nursery care available
Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 887-9831
Blyth United Church
Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street
Sunday, February 16
Worship Service & Sunday School
11:00 a.m.
"Story of St. Valentine and Sacrament of Communion"
Minister: Rev. Dr. Eugen Bannerman
Office: 523-4224
Sunday
HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL
MISSIONARY CHURCH
atms Auburn - 526-1131
PASTOR DAVE WOOD - 523-4941
Wednesday
9:30 a.m. - Family Bible Hour
10:30 a.m. - Morning Worship Service
7:30 p.m. - Evening Worship
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.- Crusaders & Youth
7:15 p.m. - Adult Bible Study
fou are ‘Welcome at the.
BLYTH COMMUNITY CHURCH OF GOD
10:00 a.m. - Sunday School for all ages
11:00 a.m. - Morning Worship
(Junior Church during service)
7:30 p.m. - Evening Worship
Bible Studies - Wednesday morning 10 a.m.
Wednesday evening 7:30 p.m.
Phone 523-4590 308 Blyth Rd., Blyth
“Ptea&e. join cea, fan. cwtaAifr
Sunday, February 16
Morning Worship Service -10 a.m.
Evening Worship Service - 7:30 p.m.
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon
them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children.
To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember h's
commandments to do them.
~ Psalm 103:17-18
BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
Hwy. 4, Blyth 523-9233
Wheelchair accessible
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Joan Golden - Diaconal Student Minister
Office 887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wcl.on.ca
February 16
Ethel United Church
9:30 a.m.
Worship Service & Sunday School
Brussels United Church
11:00 a.m.
Worship Service & Sunday School
Come to celebrate with us the starlight and wonder
in this Season of Epiphany
Church
Cornerstone
Bible
Fellowship
Ethel
Communion - 9.45 - 10:30
Family Bible Hour and Sunday School ~ 11:00 - 12:00
Prayer & Bible Study ~ Tuesday 8 p.m.
Ladies' Time Out - The last Thursday of each month
7:30 - 9:00 p.m. - starting again February 27
John 14:6 - Jesus said, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, no
one comes to the Father, but through Me."
Everyone Welcome
Call Pastor Andrew Thursdays or Fridays at 887-6123