St Valentine | Pastor Jim Driskell

Monday Feb 10, 2025

Hi this is Pastor Jim Driskell of Christ Lutheran Church with the NCTV 45 thought for the Day.

Talking a lot about the trials of life this week, which interestingly ends on St Valentines Day, perhaps you want to think about the truth of that day, speaking of trials.

Often when someone is going through a trial, they will think that they are being punished, that God is not happy with them, that God may have even denied or renounced them. That is usually not the case. There certainly is Godly discipline. There are times when God imposes punishment on someone. The writer of Hebrews writes (12:6) “For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as his child”. I was being a little sensitive at a football practice, I was getting yelled at. Another coach says they yell at you because they want you to be a good player. When they stop yelling they don’t care. Much could be said about that about God. He will yell at us, He will discipline His own. He wants those who are truly in Him to grow and mature, to be worthy of life in the eternal resurrection. This may all sound boring, first there’s no plan B, it’s God’s way through Jesus, second. Our eternal life in Jesus will be anything but boring in the physical resurrection, it will be everything you could hope for in Jesus, life and life more abundant. Before that, yes there will be trials. John MacArthur writes, “trials are given to us by God to show us the strength or weakness of our faith.” Clearly if your faith falters, our trust in God fails at the crucial point in a trial, we might not pass that trial, but we also know what we need to pay attention to. If we are lacking in faith, there is only one source of faith and that is God. When we are lacking faith and strength we pray that He will give us what we need to grow stronger in our spirit and strength.

I’m Jim Driskell the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church 1302 E Washington St, New Castle, Pa check us on the web Christlutheran-new castle.org questions comments contact me on the website. For a transcript of today’s Thought go to: wordpress.com/view/revjamesdriskellmdiv.com Sunday worship is at 10:30am, with the NCTV 45 thought for the day, God bless your day

Tuesday Feb 11, 2025

Hi this is Pastor Jim Driskell of Christ Lutheran Church with the NCTV 45 thought for the Day.

We have been talking about the trials of life that Christians often go through. John MacArthur points out, quoting Thomas Merton: “God had one Son without sin, but no son without trials.” Jesus was certainly subject to the trials that we who are sinners have experienced. We deserve the trials that we are subject to and yes, some of the trials we go through are “discipline”, getting taken out back of the wood shed. I don’t care who you think you are, at some point you deserve getting the board of education applied to the seat of knowledge as Dr J Vernon McGee used to say. “Well I certainly don’t deserve that, harrumph, harrumph,” as our pietistic self righteous brethren or sistern would huff about. Yes you do and remember despite your huffy little attitude, there is always plenty of room for learning. Let’s take Job, for example: “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered and reflected on My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God [with reverence] and abstains from and turns away from evil [because he honors God]” From the Amplified Version of the Bible. At that point God permitted Satan to put Job to the test. Even though God just called Job blameless and upright, one of the few we see in the Bible honored by God that way, Job suffered a lot, he lost his immense wealth, his children, he had to put up with insufferable friends, he was still faithful. That is what really matters. Job faithfully says: Thou He slay me, yet I will trust in Him.” Sounds harsh, but there is no option B, we trust in God through everything and we will be glorified to eternity. Quoting MacArthur: “God gives us trials to wean us from material things, bankruptcy of human resources and concentrate us on our heavenly hope. Gives us great affection for the things above instead of what is perishable here. Trials teach us to value the blessing of God.

Wednesday Feb 12, 2025

Hi this is Pastor Jim Driskell of Christ Lutheran Church with the NCTV 45 thought for the Day.

We’ve been talking about trials in our lives. Certainly whenever something happens in our life that causes us distress, anxiety, loss, makes us wonder; why me? We certainly turn to God. When we turn to God that should give us some assurance that it is from God and God is allowing it for a good reason. Maybe it is punishment once in awhile but He allows it because sure, He wants you to know that you’ve stepped over the line and you defied God. He wants to make you aware that what you did isn’t acceptable and let Him help you get back in line. If you keep on that path and continue to defy God He will at some point let you go and let whatever besetting sin you’ve been experiencing define your life. The sin becomes more important and God less important. In order for you to grow and overcome these issues in your life God does push you to look hard at what you’re doing and not let it destroy you?

Dr Reed Lessing in his book “Overcoming Life’s Sorrows” describes the following: “Sometimes a storm’s fury looks like it might crush an eagle against a rocky cliff. But the eagle faces the storm and tilts its wings, and the whirlwind that might have crushed it begins to drive it upward until it rises above the storm. What’s true of eagles can be true of us. The fierce storm that looks to destroy us is the same power by which we rise to new heights. God sends tests to bring us to a greater Christian character.” You sure don’t build any character sitting on the couch watching weekday afternoon television. You build your strength through faith in Him which He gives to you when you turn to Him for faith and hope.

Thursday Feb 13, 2025

Hi this is Pastor Jim Driskell of Christ Lutheran Church with the NCTV 45 thought for the Day.

We are talking about God testing us. Not punishing as much as a test, a trial, a way to help you to grow. To help you to build that relationship with God that makes us trust Him and look to Him for what happens in our life and stop trusting ourselves or the world around us. Dr Reed Lessing in his book “Overcoming Life’s Sorrows writes: “God uses test to save us from becoming self-absorbed, self-focused, self-centered and self-reliant. We trust God’s process. He will never forsake us. He will always remake us. Service when we use our pain for God’s glory. God wants to take our greatest pain and turn it into His glory. He wants to use our tests for a testimony. God wants to take the things we are most embarrassed about, the things we’re most ashamed of, the things we most regret happening, and He wants to use them for good in the lives of others. Paul blesses God, who ‘comforts us in all our afflictioin, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God’ (2 Corin 1:4)

Friday Feb 14, 2025

Hi this is Pastor Jim Driskell of Christ Lutheran Church with the NCTV 45 thought for the Day.

Today is Saint Valentines day. He is an obscure saint, he probably did actually live, his feast on February 14 when he is reported to have been executed by the Roman emperor. Seems every St Valentines I hear a different twist on Valentinus’ life. I have no doubt each version is true and different perspectives on the Saint’s life. But as in the rest of Christianity, the day we celebrate as love, eros, love between man and woman, is also about the genuine, agapeo love we know in Jesus. While we see the institution of marriage being undermined all around us, marriage between a man and a woman is certainly a fundamental precept of Christianity. Adam and Eve placed in the Garden, married by God the Father. Through the Bible until we see the wedding Feast of the Lamb to celebrate the marriage of Jesus to His Church, to us. The Roman emperor had forbade his soldiers to be married, he wanted them to be solely dedicated to fight and defeat the enemies of the empire: “St. Valentine was a physician and a member of the clergy during the time of the Roman Empire. He was best known for his ministry to persecuted Christian soldiers allowing them to marry in secret after Emperor Claudius banned marriages during wartime to encourage men to battle. But Valentine was also known as a healer and comforter to the sick. He was martyred, on February 14 in the year 270 at the age of 44.

One story about Valentinus had to do with healing an aristocrat’s daughter after his arrest. Father Valentinus told his jailor Asterius “how Christ leads pagans out of the shadow of darkness and into the light of truth and salvation”. Asterius told him, if he healed his daughter of blindness, he would convert. Father Valentinus covered the girl’s eyes with his hands and said, “Lord Jesus Christ, en-lighten your handmaid, because you are God, the True Light.” The child regained her sight. Asterius and his family were baptized, but when the Emperor heard the news, he ordered them all to be executed. Love has always been a two-edged sword, especially Christian love….”[1]

[1] https://sermons.com/home/illustrations/2021-02-14

We Make Our beginning in the Name of God the Father and in the Name of God the Son and in the Name of God the Holy Spirit and all those who have been allowed a glimpse of Jesus as God as His children in baptism said … AMEN

Happy day after ST Valentine’s day! “A common hagiography describes Saint Valentine, as the former Bishop of Terni, Narnia and Amelia, a town of Umbria, in central Italy. While under house arrest of Judge Asterius, and discussing his faith with him, Valentinus (the Latin version of his name) was discussing the validity of Jesus. The judge put Valentinus to the test and brought to him the judge’s adopted blind daughter. If Valentinus succeeded in restoring the girl’s sight, Asterius would do anything he asked. Valentinus laid his hands on her eyes and the child’s vision was restored. The judge obeyed and as a result, freed all the Christian inmates under his authority. The judge, his family and his forty-four member household were baptized.^[20] Valentinus was later arrested again for continuing to proselytize and was sent to the prefect of Rome, to the emperor Claudius Gothicus (Claudius II) himself. Claudius condemned Valentinus to death, commanding that Valentinus either renounce his faith or he would be beaten with clubs, and beheaded. Valentinus refused.^[21] Another narrative says he was arrested and imprisoned upon being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. Helping Christians at this time was considered a crime. He was beaten with clubs and stones; when that failed to kill him, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate. ^[23] Archaeologists unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom.”[1]

Valentines also seems to be another of those festivals that the world has co-opted and frankly corrupted. Yes, there is an element of romantic love, of Eros, in the Valentine story, it is much more about the agape love, what Valentine did in order to witness to Christ. There is little doubt in my mind that Valentine would be embarrassed beyond description for us and for himself to be associated with a Feast that the world has really corrupted.

Of much more importance, much more, like more than infinitely more important, we remember the Transfiguration of Jesus today. Festivals of different saints are a great thing, especially when it’s one who like St Nicholas, Valentine, Patrick who are readily recognized by the secular world, and we don’t emphasize enough the importance of these saints, not for holidays, but because of how they lived and died for Jesus. But we also remember, that in Jesus we are all saints, Nicholas, Patrick, Valentine, great men, and they should be remember as examples of faithful living and maybe we should be more pro-active about observing their feasts and festivals. We look to those men for their example, we pray for God’s strength to emulate their lives, but we too are saints and we all are priests and we are all expected to come into the presence of the Father on the basis of our salvation in Jesus.

Jesus has shown Himself during the incarnation as a man, the Bible says a rather unremarkable looking man, you wouldn’t think much about Him at all if you walked by Him on the street. Those privileged disciples and by extension, now, us, get to see Jesus as He truly is. He is God, He is appearing to His disciples, in, no doubt, a much more muted form. We could not endure His splendor as God the Son, but in the Transfiguration there is no doubt that He is far above anything we are and the Father comes along and confirms, this is My Son! The veil has been lifted. There are a few times in the Bible where people have been left with a view that’s been hazed over, if not outright obstructed. Moses was in the actual presence of God and had to wear a veil among the people because they weren’t able to bear even a sort of reflected view of God’s Shekinah glory. Mary Magdalene had a veil over her eyes at the tomb. The two disciples didn’t see Jesus on the road to Emmaus.

Dr David Lewis observes: “Paul discusses the cause of unbelief with the image of “the veil” an image where faith is likened to seeing and so unbelief is blindness.” We certainly know those who just will not see Jesus as Lord. I have no doubt, the Holy Spirit has presented Jesus, has tried to move some people and they will just not be budged, they like the blindness.

I certainly resonate with what Dr Lewis says in terms of Paul’s ministry and ministry today. Christian ministry, proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus is not for shrinking violets and the church has been guilty of that for decades and is becoming even less of a witness today. We are more concerned about offending others, while to quote Billy Graham, we’re offending God.

Dr Lewis notes: “Because of this [inability to see under the veil] Paul stresses the importance of conducting his ministry with openness/boldness. What is openly proclaimed is that Jesus is Lord.” Why proclaim Him? “The hope [Greek elpida] in the enduring/remaining glory…the new covenant … This hope motivates Paul to behave boldly/frankly/openly (marresia) in his ministry …”[2] As we should do.

Jesus has now unambiguously revealed Himself on that mountain and the Father has confirmed who Jesus is: “This is my beloved Son.” We are God’s children, we are born again in baptism, we are His and we are strengthened through His Word in preaching and in Scripture and we are saved through the Body and Blood of Jesus. We are saved through His sacrifice, the payment of His perfect life as compensation, the just payment for our sins. This is our hope, this is the only hope of mankind, the Lord Jesus! And that is why we must boldly proclaim the hope and promise of Him, as Paul did. Jerome writes: “They [Moses, Elijah, the disciples, us], too, indeed are dear to Me, but He is My beloved; hear Him, therefore. They proclaim and teach Him, but you, hear Him; He is the Lord and Master, they are companions in servitude. Moses and Elias speak of Christ; they are your fellow servants; He is the Lord; hear Him. Do not render the same honor to fellow servants as to the Lord and Master. Hear only the Son of God.”

For this week spend some time in prayer asking for guidance to help you lift the veil from those you know. How can the Holy Spirit work through you? Who does He want you to help to lift the veil from their eyes to see the only hope and promise in the world? Jesus Christ, God the Son and our Savior. The Holy Spirit has lifted the veil from we who are baptized and born again in Jesus.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Shalom and Amin.

[1] http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=159

[2] Dr David Lewis “Concordia Journal/Winter 2015) pp 60-61

Pastor Jim Driskell

If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write. – Dr Martin Luther

Tag Archives: St Valentine

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