Although considered a secular occasion, Valentine's Day is actually named after the early Christian Martyr St. Valentine, and was part of the General Roman Calendar from 496 to 1969.  As we express our affection for our loved ones this week, we do well to remember the words of 1 John 4:10-11, "And this is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His only son to atone for our sin.  If God loved us like this, we ought also to love one another"

Valentine's Day can be a particularly poignant time for military families when one or the other spouse is deployed.  The usual pangs of separation can be exacerbated, as other couples celebrate their love with tokens of affection, and a family separated by deployment can't, adding to their already elevated stress levels.

Some churches have developed unique ways to mitigate the suffering of military families on occasions such as Valentine's Day.  Knowing that a military member would be deploying just before the holiday, the church's Military Ministry took the time to coordinate with him about a gift for his spouse, and then saw that it was delivered on time with a note from him.  Their efforts brightened an otherwise sad occasion.

Another church sponsors a Navy ship, that was going to be deployed over Valentine's.  With some advance planning, they asked single sailors about their families and significant others, and then had the sailors prepare valentines and other gifts to be delivered on Valentine's Day.  They went a step further, and coordinated with the sailor's families and significant others to have their valentines and gifts on board the ship before it sailed, with arrangements for timely delivery.

Such simple acts of charity do much to ease the suffering of military families suffering from a decade of warfare, and our churches are often best positioned and equipped to provide them.  May many be moved this week to consider starting a military ministry.