Message from Pastor Fitting-Snyder

I never really liked Valentine’s Day. Don’t get me wrong – I love the chocolate (especially the day-after sales), but a holiday that focuses on love can be difficult and isolating for so many people. And right now, the world around us feels heavier than ever. News headlines, social tensions, natural disasters, and personal struggles can leave us feeling that love—God’s love, the love we are called to share—is distant or even absent. But what if, as we prepare for Lent, we reclaim what this holiday is about at its core?

St. Valentine of Rome was a Christian priest of immense courage. Persecuted under Claudius II, he was imprisoned for the radical act of marrying Christian couples and aiding those fleeing oppression. He didn’t just speak of love; he lived it—standing firm in his faith until his death on February 14, 269. While he is the patron saint of lovers, he is also the patron of beekeepers, travelers, and greetings. His life reminds us that Christian love is, at its core, fierce and inclusive.

As we approach the Lenten season, I am reminded of G.K. Chesterton’s wisdom: “Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.” Too often, we get bogged down in the mechanics of theology and the precision of doctrine. While those have their place, our primary calling is to embody the love of Jesus Christ. That love is the “fierce love” that sustained Valentine—a love that is found in the sharing of our lives with one another. 

As we anticipate the forty days of Lent beginning next week, we are embarking on a journey with the One who demonstrated the vastness of God’s love for the whole world.

Rather than focusing solely on what we might “give up”—like the chocolate or small comforts we enjoy—I challenge us as a Synod, in the spirit of love, to consider what we might add.

How can we purposefully add acts of fierce love to our daily lives? How can we better share the transformative, healing power of Christ with a world that is hurting? Let us move into this season not with a spirit of deprivation, but with a renewed commitment to sharing the light and compassion that we have received.

A Prayer for the Journey

Gracious God, we thank you for the witness of St. Valentine, who showed us that love is a courageous action. We pray for those who feel lonely or forgotten in this season; wrap them in your presence. As we enter the Lenten wilderness, open our hearts to add kindness, justice, and warmth to a weary world. May our lives be a love letter to the world, written in the spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen.

In the love of Christ, 

Pastor Kelsey 

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The January 2026 Mission Support memo connects us to Community Lutheran Church in Sussex County, Delaware where they are working to build-bridges for justice and love. Read about how they deeply care for their community through being a feeding hub, offering English classes and advocacy, caring for creation, and working toward dismantling racism, building equity, and empowering inclusion. Learn how to join our new ELCA  Church Property Hub on Feb. 12^th for Property Development 101 for Synods.

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NT-NL synod staff are excited to engage in-person on Sundays for worship. As good stewards of time and travel dollars, we will be utilizing online meeting formats in our new hybrid reality when possible. If you would like to schedule a meeting with the bishop or Synod staff please contact them directly.

Bishop Gronberg:

February 13-14: Augustana College, Rock Island, IL
February 15: Texas Impact Celebration, Messiah, Weatherford
February 22: Central, Dallas
March 3-7: Conference of Bishops, Chicago, IL
March 18: Central, Dallas

Pastora Bañales:

February 8-10: NT-NL DEM Advisory Team Working Retreat, Waco
February 23: ELCA Evangelism Network Gathering

Pastor Fitting-Snyder:

February 15: King of Glory, Dallas
February 20-21: Calvary Lutheran Women’s Retreat