Faith, Fools, & Calendar Quirks

It was discovered that Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent starts on Valentine’s Day and Easter takes place on April Fools’ day this year. There were a lot of jokes on FB about this. And that’s OK, but as I thought about it, I realized it’s actually pretty appropriate.

Valentine’s Day is supposed to be all about love. Send out Valentines, buy flowers and candy for your sweetie, all the commercial stuff that now surrounds the day. But there is another kind of love that no one seems to have thought of. The love of God for His children.

Originally, Valentine’s Day was a feast day in the church to celebrate and honor the martyr Saint Valentine. Of which there were many with that name. It slowly became associated with romantic love. Now it’s just another Hallmark holiday. We should show our love to our loved ones as often as possible.

But when it comes to God’s love for His children, there are no cards, flowers or candy. It’s unconditional and steadfast. It’s eternal. It’s every single day. I can’t imagine surrendering Paul or Sarah to die on a cross to save the world from sin. I would let the world go to hell and keep my kids at my side. But God did that very thing…surrender His Son. Love can’t go much deeper than that.

So going into the penitential season of Lent, we remember this holy love for us. When we get that cross of ashes drawn on our forehead, it’s a mark of love.

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Now, as for Easter landing on April Fools’ Day…What better day could there be? A LOT of people were fooled when Christ rose from the tomb!

Hey, Romans! You too, Pontius Pilate! He lives! April Fools!

Hey, Sanhedrin, Sadducees, Pharisees! Jesus rose as He said He would! April Fools!

Now, I am NOT mocking the Resurrection with this. I’m just putting a Christian slant on a day that people use to prank others, and on an event that has come to mean bunnies, candy and a week off of school.  And, I have to admit, I AM thumbing my nose at the people who put Christ on the cross. And that means us, too. We are just as guilty.

BUT—we are also forgiven! Christ DID rise from the dead! Hallelujah!