From the February Newsletter

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Dear Friends in Christ,

 

We’ll get to the 4th chief part of the Small Catechism next month. Or maybe a month or two after that. But then maybe we’ll have a new baby by then and I won’t have the energy for a newsletter article. Time flies!

 

Speaking of time, let’s talk about the calendar. We’ll celebrate Valentine’s Day this month, and that really does reveal how the whole calendar is Christian. All time belongs to God. 

 

Every year, some joker argues that Christmas and Easter were originally pagan in nature. They say that December 25 was a pagan holiday and that Easter is named after a goddess of the spring. I’m not sure if any of that is true, but, for argument’s sake, let’s say that it is. 

 

But now let’s take it further. Thursday is named after Thor, the Norse god. March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. 

 

So should we rename the days of the week and months? First, good luck with that. Second, I think we’re okay. “Worship [the LORD], all you gods!... For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods” (Ps 97:7, 9). 

 

God allows the other gods (and of course they’re not really gods, they’re GINOs - gods in name only) to stick around for the purpose of serving Him and bringing Him glory. He shows us that everything, everyone, every god, every devil is really subservient to Him. Luther famously said that he might be the devil, but remember that he’s God’s devil. 

 

One day of the week conquers them all, and that’s Sunday. And who is that Sun? Who is the Light of the world? The Old Testament ends with the promise of the coming Sun - “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings” (Mal 4:2). Jesus came back from the dead on a Sunday, proving that all time belongs to Him. There is no such thing as a secular calendar. Lunar and solar time belongs to God and serves Him. If God chose a pagan holiday to celebrate His Son’s birth, God is saying, “December 25th sounds nice. That’s My day now!” 

 

And it’s not just December 25th that belongs to God. We have a 7 day week, thanks to our God who created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th. The French Revolution recognized that having a 7 day week implied that Christianity was right about the origin of the universe, so they tried to implement a 10 day week. It didn’t catch on. Every day, even Thursday, belongs to Jesus Christ, and the world can’t help but follow along in some sense. 

 

Even non-Christians celebrate Christian holidays. Halloween is simply a contraction for All Hollow’s Eve - the night before All Saints’ Day where we remember those great Christians who died in and for the faith. Thanksgiving doesn’t make sense if you don’t have anyone to give thanks to.

 

Then there’s Valentine’s Day. Despite the shameless corporatization of the holiday, Valentine was a real Christian martyr. The Roman Emperor Claudius forbade soldiers from getting married because he thought it would soften their courage. Valentine was a priest who performed these weddings in secret, and it was discovered, so he was clubbed and beheaded. To make matters mysterious, there were 3 3rd Century Christian martyrs named Valentine, and there remains to this day debates about which Valentine we’re commemorating. 

 

The world celebrates all Christian holidays, like Valentine’s Day, St. Patricks’ Day, Christmas, and Easter, but you know something is off with their celebration. What’s missing from the world’s calendar is Ash Wednesday, which we’ll observe on March 5 this year. What’s missing from the world’s calendar is repentance. Repentance means turning away from our sins and putting our faith in Christ. 

 

So celebrate Valentine’s Day. Don’t buy me any chocolate, but thank God for His love, shown to us in His Son Jesus Christ. Valentine knew what love was because God first loved us. We know what time is because when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son. 

 

 In Christ,

Pastor