Valentine’s Day Discussion Starters

Steve Case
Much of what we know about Saint Valentine has been lost to story and legend. We
know he was a priest who went about Rome marrying Christian couples when that sort
of thing was frowned upon by the leadership at the time.
He was jailed and often let out of his cell to come debate religion with
Emperor Claudius at parties. He made the mistake of trying to convert the
emperor, who then ordered Valentine beaten to death. When he refused to
die, Claudius ordered Valentine to be beheaded.

Legend says there was a guard who asked Valentine to pray for his
daughter’s blindness. Valentine did, and the girl’s sight was restored.
Valentine wrote a note to the girl and signed it, “From Your Valentine.”

(Read the stuff above to teens, then ask these questions)

o What is the most romantic song you’ve heard?

o The most romantic movie?
o The most romantic date?
o Is Valentine’s Day (for the most part) a holiday for women? Should it be? Why does it seem
as if there are lines of men at the florist on Valentine’s Day? What is the guy equivalent of flowers for
girls?
o How did your parents get together? What is the story of their proposal/engagement?
o What does it mean to have a heart for Jesus? Can you give your heart to someone else and
still have a heart for Jesus? What would you do if your boyfriend/girlfriend gave you a Christian
Valentine card?
o Did you give out the small Valentine cards in your class at school? Is there one year in
particular you remember?
o What is love?

Ideas for making Valentines Day great:

o Purchase a few boxes of candy hearts. (The colored ones with two-word phrases.) Ask your
group to create the top 10 best heart messages, then ask students to create the Top 10 Breakup
Heart messages or Top 10 funniest messages.
o See if you can get your hands a few boxes of Do-it-Yourself kid Valentines before the
meeting. If that isn’t possible, cut paper hearts. You should have enough so each student has four.

Teaching Ideas:
There are four different words in Scripture that mean
love: Eros, Philleo, Storge and Agape. Eros is passionate love; Philleo is
brotherly love; Storge is compassion; Agape is the unconditional love Jesus
spoke about.
Write each of these on one of the Valentines (or paper hearts), then write the
name or initials of someone you know who embodies this kind of love.
(Skip Eros if it’s embarrassing.)

Read the story of Peter and Jesus in John 21.

In the Greek translation, Jesus essentially asked Peter “Do you agape me?”
Peter answered with Philla. Jesus again asked if Peter Agaped Him , and Peter
answered a second time with Philla. The third time, Jesus said Philla and
Peter answered the same.

How does this new understanding of the word love change when we read it in
the Greek? What does it say about Peter? Why did Jesus switch to “brotherly
love” instead of the “unconditional love?”

Read 1 John 4:7-8.

Does everyone really mean every one? If God is love and love is God and
everyone who loves knows God, does this mean an atheist who loves his/her
spouse knows God? If everyone who loves is a child of God, does this include
people in other religions? Prisoners on death row?

Send students on a hunt for sounds. Make sure they take along a cell phone
with voice recorder and speaker. Have them find the most annoying sounds
they can record along with a sound for love. Read the verses from 1 John
aloud. Insert the noises for clanging cymbal anytime you say the word love.

Read Song of Solomon 1:12-14.

There are those who say the Song of Songs is merely a metaphorical writing
about God’s love for the church. Give it a read and see what you think.

Is there anything wrong with saying the Bible contains a dialogue between
two people who can’t keep their hands off each other? Why would someone
have a problem with the Bible being…uh…hot?

Read Romans 13.

This is commonly known as “the love chapter.” Make a list of what this
chapter tells us love is. Write this list in order of what is easiest for you,
ending with which is most difficult. What are some things you can do to
improve on the more difficult choices?

https://www.youthworker.com/articles/talking-about-valentineaes-day/

Steve Case has been active in youth ministry for 18 years, currently at Windermere Union
United Church of Christ near Orlando, Fla. He’s also a popular speaker and the author of
several books, including Everything Counts, The Book of Uncommon Prayer, and The Big Book
of Case Studies. (YS)
Wikipedia
Love, an irresistible desire which is irresistibly desired [1] encompasses a variety of strong and
positive emotional and mental states, ranging from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the
deepest interpersonal affection and to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings
is that the love of a mother differs from the love of a spouse, which differs from the love of food. Most
commonly, love refers to a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment.[4] Love can also be
a virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection, as "the unselfish loyal and
benevolent concern for the good of another". It may also describe compassionate and affectionate
actions towards other humans, one's self or animals.

Wiktionary
love (countable and uncountable, plural loves)

1. (uncountable) Strong affection.

1. A profound and caring affection towards someone. quotations ▼
A mother’s love is not easily shaken.
My husband’s love is the most important thing in my life.

2. Affectionate, benevolent concern or care for other people or beings, and for
their well-being. quotations ▼
3. A feeling of intense attraction towards someone. quotations ▼
I have never been in love as much as I have with you.
4. A deep or abiding liking for something; an enthusiasm for something. quotations ▼
My love of cricket knows no bounds.

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you
courage.” “There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in
madness.” “The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for
ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.”

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist,
that is all.”
Oscar Wilde

“There is no life as complete as the life that is lived by

choice.”

Shad Helmstetter

“You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things

happen to you.”

Mary Tyler Moore

“People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and
courageously. This is how character is built.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

“Each life is made up of mistakes and learning, waiting and

growing, practicing patience and being persistent.”

Billy Graham

“Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in

our lives won’t have a title until much later.”

Bob Goff

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving

someone deeply gives you courage.”
– Lao Tzu
“There is always some madness in love. But there is also always
some reason in madness.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
“The most desired gift of love is not diamonds or roses or chocolate. It
is focused attention.”
– Richard Warren
“The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or
even heard, but must be felt with the heart.”
– Helen Keller

“Everyone in life is gonna hurt you, you just have to figure out
which people are worth the pain.”

Erica Baican
“True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing
lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked.”

Erich Segal