Valentine's Day
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Valentine's Day

by Pastor Mark Schumm on February 01, 2026

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only
Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that
we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the
propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one
another.

1 John 4:9-11 ESV


February 14 is St. Valentine’s Day, a day that originally honored a Christian who lived in the Roman empire in the third century. A number of legends have developed around Valentine including his imprisonment for performing marriages of Roman soldiers (forbidden by the emperor) and the healing of his jailor’s daughter. Another familiar story is his sending of a note to that daughter, signed “Your Valentine” which has spawned the popular tradition of sending hearts and cards to those we love on Valentines Day.


February 18 marks Ash Wednesday. This is the traditional beginning of theseason of Lent (40 days not counting Sundays until Easter). Lent is a penitential season where we remember the road to the cross and the passion of our Lord. But Lent is also a season where we remember God’s love. John’s epistle reminds us that true love in our world is seen most clearly in God’s love for fallen humanity. God’s self-sacrificing and decisive active love for sinners sent Jesus into our world to be the one sacrifice for all sin.


During the season of Lent, we will be exploring the implications of God’s love for us. Our midweek worship services focus our attention on the Passion of Jesus through the lens of St. Matthew’s gospel. Our theme is Not our Plans, HIS Plan (Matthew 26:1-28:10). On the Sundays of our Lenten journey, we will be studying repentance and reconciliation in our series, Questions of Forgiveness. Please plan to join us!


It is at the cross at Calvary that we see the depth of God’s love for us. And that love encourages and empowers us to share forgiveness and sacrificial, self-giving love with others in our world. As Christians, we share the love of Christ within our family, our congregation and school, and our community and world. May you know God’s love and show God’s love to those around you.


In the name of Jesus,

Pastor Mark Schumm

About the Author
Pastor Mark Schumm

Pastor Mark joined the Calvary team in July of 2025. He experienced a nomadic childhood, moving between Indianapolis and Omaha, NE several times before settling in Indiana to attend Purdue University. There he met his wife, Joan. They have one son, John, who lives with his family on the north side of Indianapolis. Pastor worked as a process engineer for ten years in the food and chemical industry before attending Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He and Joan have served congregations in Tucson, AZ, Madison and Green Bay, WI and Farmington Hills, MI. While not at church Pastor enjoys gardening, tracking down grandchildren at their sporting events and brewing beer.