Saints, Sinners, and Fun-Size Snickers

A Word from Pastor Toby

October is here!

The leaves are changing, the days are getting shorter, the air is getting cooler, and somewhere there is already a child negotiating the finer points of whether wearing a plastic mask technically counts as a costume.

And, of course, Halloween is coming.

For Christians, Halloween sometimes raises an interesting question: Should we celebrate it?

Some followers of Jesus choose not to participate, and we should respect that decision. But I also believe Christians can enjoy Halloween without checking our faith at the door next to the plastic skeleton.

In fact, Halloween gives us a wonderful opportunity to remember something profoundly Christian:

Because of Jesus Christ, we do not have to be afraid of the dark.

Halloween, or All Hallows’ Eve, is the evening before All Saints Day, traditionally observed by Christians on November 1. The word hallow simply means holy or saint. So tucked underneath all the pumpkins, costumes, candy, and decorations is an old connection to the Church’s remembrance of the faithful who have gone before us.

That makes Halloween and All Saints Day rather interesting neighbors.

Halloween likes to play with things that frighten us: ghosts, graveyards, darkness, death, and the terrifying possibility that someone might hand out raisins instead of Reese’s.

All Saints Day, meanwhile, looks death squarely in the face and proclaims:

Death does not get the last word. Jesus does.

That is an incredibly important distinction.

Christians don’t need to pretend that death, grief, evil, and darkness aren’t real. We know better. We have stood beside hospital beds. We have gathered at gravesides. We have said goodbye to people we dearly love. Some empty chairs at family gatherings still hurt.

Our faith doesn’t ask us to deny those things.

Instead, Christianity makes the astonishing claim that God entered directly into them.

Jesus died.

Jesus was buried.

And Jesus rose.

Because of the resurrection, Christians can acknowledge darkness without belonging to it. We can laugh in the face of things designed to frighten us because our hope rests in Someone greater than our fear.

The Apostle Paul puts it beautifully:

“Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
1 Corinthians 15:54-55

I like that Scripture around Halloween because Paul almost sounds as if he’s taunting death.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

Not because Paul believed death wasn’t painful, but because he knew death had already lost the ultimate battle.

That’s what All Saints Day celebrates.

We remember the saints who have gone before us, not because they were perfect people with halos floating six inches above their heads. In the New Testament, saints are God’s people, ordinary men and women made holy through God’s grace.

In other words, saints are people like us.

People who sometimes got things right.

People who sometimes made spectacular messes.

People who trusted Jesus anyway.

On All Saints Day, we especially remember the Christians whose earthly lives have ended. We remember parents and grandparents, spouses and siblings, friends and church members. We give thanks for the ways their faith helped shape ours.

But most importantly, we remember that their story isn’t over.

Christian hope says the cemetery is not God’s final destination for His children.

Resurrection is.

So this October, carve the pumpkin. Wear the goofy costume. Hand out candy. Enjoy watching children wander around the neighborhood dressed as dinosaurs, superheroes, princesses, and whichever cartoon character I apparently became too old to recognize sometime around 2007.

And while we’re doing that, perhaps we can remember what comes next.

Halloween gives way to All Saints Day.

Darkness gives way to light.

Fear gives way to hope.

Death gives way to resurrection.

And that might just be one of the most Christian things we can celebrate.

An October Challenge

Here is my challenge for us this month:

Turn Halloween into an opportunity for hospitality and remembrance.

When children come to your door, don’t just give them candy. Give them a smile. Learn a name. Compliment the costume. Be the house where people encounter warmth, generosity, and kindness.

And sometime around Halloween or All Saints Day, take a few quiet minutes to remember a saint who helped shape your faith.

Say their name.

Tell someone their story.

Thank God for their life.

And then ask yourself:

What kind of faith am I passing on to the people who will someday remember me?

That’s a little more challenging than deciding whether a fun-size candy bar actually qualifies as “fun,” isn’t it?

A Prayer for All Saints

Gracious God,

Thank You for the saints who have walked before us, for those who taught us, loved us, prayed for us, encouraged us, and showed us what following Jesus can look like.

When darkness frightens us, remind us that Christ is our light.
When grief overwhelms us, remind us that love is stronger than the grave.
When death frightens us, remind us of the empty tomb.

Help us to live with such faith, joy, kindness, and courage that others can see something of Jesus in us.

And when our earthly journey is complete, bring us together with all Your saints in the resurrection life You have promised through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

So, Westville, have a wonderful October. Enjoy the changing leaves, enjoy a piece of candy or three, and remember:

We are people of resurrection.

The darkness is real.

But the Light wins.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Toby