Learning about St. Valentine for Kidmin

Valentines Day is the day Saint Valentine was executed in 278 AD. One way you can celebrate Valentine’s Day with your students is to tell the story of Saint Valentine.

Saint Valentine was a priest and a bishop, and was martyred in Rome under Claudius II and buried on February 14th. The story of his life has some great applications you can use with your students.

Valentine was born in Rome during the third century. He was a priest and then a bishop. During that time, the emperor of Rome, Claudius II, wanted to end Christianity, so he outlawed Christianity and killed Christians.

Claudius waged war on many nations to make the kingdom of Rome larger, but he had a hard time recruiting soldiers. He believed this was because men didn’t want to leave their wives, so he outlawed marriage.

Valentine continued to preach about God, and whenever a Christian couple wanted to be married, he would perform the marriage ceremony. Because of this, he was arrested and jailed.

Emperor Claudius liked Saint Valentine and invited him to the palace many times to talk to him. Valentine knew Claudius needed to ask Jesus into his heart and be saved, so Valentine talked to Claudius about Jesus often.

This made the emperor furious, and he order Valentine to not mention Jesus again. Valentine knew Claudius would have him killed if he didn’t stop talking about Jesus, but he also knew Claudius needed to hear about Jesus. He made the decision to share the Gospel with the emperor.

The emperor became so furious that he order Valentine to renounce his faith. Valentine wouldn’t do that, and Claudius order him to be beaten with clubs. When he still wouldn’t renounce Jesus, Claudius ordered him stoned to death and beheaded. Valentine was buried on February 14th.

The life of Saint Valentine offers us these lessons:

It is important to share the Gospel.
Marriage is important to God.
Don’t let anything, even death, stop you from declaring Jesus is Lord.

Valentine’s Week Lesson – Healing a Hurting Heart

Here is a Children’s Sermon that’s great for the Week of Valentine’s Day. Of course you’ll want to put this sermon in your own words. You can draw simalar pictues to display on posterboard or copy the images for Powerpoint.

God cares about you more than anyone ever could. He loves you. No matter what the condition of your heart is, God wants to heal it. Let’s see some of the things He says in the Bible about broken hearts.

The Condemned Heart

Condemned means to sentence to jail or prison; to judge against, blame, find fault with. Makes us feel bad about ourselves and about our relationship with God.

Causes: Unconfessed sin, rebellion, walking against God’s ways, devil’s lies.

Verses:

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Bruised Heart

Hurts when touched on that spot. Not deep unless continually bruised.

Causes: Disappointed, let down by someone, not feeling loved for a brief time, discouraged.

Verses:

Isaiah 42:3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

Matthew 12:20 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory.

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.

The Wounded Heart

To be hit or wounded. Cannot heal unless cleansed & treated. Can affect whole life unless dealt with.

Causes: Angry words, hurtful words, hitting, fighting, arguing at home, someone close turning away, being cheated by someone you trust, rejection in any form.

Verses:

Proverbs 18:14 The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?

Zechariah 13:6 If someone asks him, ‘What are these wounds on your body ?’ he will answer, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.’

The Broken Heart

Torn, broken in pieces, crushed, shattered. Effects felt for a lifetime.

Causes: Sense of loss (death, divorce, moving away), Deep rejection or abandonment, abuse, rudely treated, defiled, violated or hurtfully treated, illegitimate, not wanted at birth.

Verses:

Psalm 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

God Can Heal Your Heart:

End with talking about how God can heal your heart no matter what has happened in the past. He wants to heal and restore you.

Matthew 12:20 He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Encourage your students to come forward and receive healing for their hearts. Pray for them to be healed.

Valentines Week Sermon: The Heart Test

This message comes from 1 Samuel 16:7: …God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.

Tell the story of 1 Samuel 16 in your own words. Then talk about how David became king because he had a heart for God. God cares more about us having a heart for Him than he does about how you look, or how talented or popular you are. God chose David because of his heart. In 1 Samuel 13:14, God calls David a man after His own heart.

This Valentine’s Day, challenge your children to have a heart for God by giving them “The Heart Test”.

Have you asked Jesus into your heart?

When you look for me with all your heart, you will find me. (Jeremiah 29:13 NIRV)

You can’t have a heart for God unless Jesus is living inside your heart.

What you say shows if you have a heart for God.

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.” (Matthew 12:34-35 NKJV)

If you say things that please God and help people, that shows you have a heart for God. If you say mean things or curse, you might not have a heart for God.

What you spend your time and money on shows if you have a heart for God?

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21 NKJV)

If you have a heart for God, you’ll want to spend time with Him and you’ll want to give to Him and others.

Are you passionate for the things of God or lukewarm?

So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. (Revelation 3:16 NKJV)

God wants us to be excited about praising Him, reading our Bibles, going to church, and praying.

Do You Live In Sin and Unbelief?

So brothers, be careful that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart. This will stop you from following the living God. (Hebrews 3:12 ICB)

If we have a heart for God, we won’t want to sin or doubt anything in God’s Word.

Check the Word to see what is in your heart?

God’s word is alive and working. It is sharper than a sword sharpened on both sides. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined. It cuts to the center of our joints and our bones. And God’s word judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts. (Hebrews 4:12 ICB)

If you are still not sure if you have a heart for God, ask God to show you through the Bible.

Do you follow the most important commandment?

Love the Lord your God. Love him with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. (Mark 12:30 ICB)

Challenge your students to make a commitment to love God with all their heart.