Mecklenburg Community Church

Did you know that Valentine's Day is more than just cards, candy and flowers? It is not even about the love between significant others at all. It is way more than that!

Did you know that Valentine’s Day is named after a Christian Saint?

St. Valentine lived during the Roman Empire in the 3rd century A.D. According to legend, he was martyred for officiating weddings for Roman soldiers in secret, going against the emperor’s wishes. Thus, he became a symbol of love.

We don’t know if this legend is true, but it makes sense that a holiday for love began with Christianity.

One of the biggest ideas in the Christian faith is love. In fact, that was Jesus’ BIG command!

Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35 NIV)

This Valentine’s weekend, reflect as a family on what love ACTUALLY means—specifically, what loving like Jesus would look like.

A great place to start is by reading the Bible’s famous description of what love is.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV)

Check out these stories of Jesus showing love to someone.

Our preschool service focuses on the story of Jesus and a tax collector named Matthew.

Our elementary service focuses on the story of Jesus and the woman at the well.

Both stories feature people who made big mistakes—people that others did not love. People who were rejected. Then, Jesus came and showed them love! He met them right where they were, spoke truth to them, forgave their sin, and invited them into a relationship with Him!

After watching one of the MecKidz Online videos above, use the following discussion questions to talk about Jesus’ love!

Discussion Questions for the Family

For younger kids:

Who does Jesus love?
How do people show love to you?
How can you love other people like Jesus this week?

For older kids:

Who is someone in your life that is difficult to love?
How can you show them love?
What does love look like?
Have you ever felt like you did something wrong and “lost” God’s love?
Is it possible to lose God’s love? (NO! If you mess up, ask God for forgiveness and he will forgive you every time)

One tangible way to show the love of Jesus to others, is through acts of kindness. Download the MecKidz Mission, “Connect 4 Kindness” for a fun game that involves showing love through kindness.

This Valentines day, make the love of Jesus, the focus of your family.