Thursday, All Hallows Eve, October 31, 2019
(the beginning of All Hallows Tide)
Then this message came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “This is what the Lord says: If you can break my covenant with the day and the night so that one does not follow the other, only then will my covenant with my servant David be broken.
The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Have you noticed what people are saying?—‘The Lord chose Judah and Israel and then abandoned them!’ They are sneering and saying that Israel is not worthy to be counted as a nation. But this is what the Lord says: I would no more reject my people than I would change my laws that govern night and day, earth and sky. Jeremiah 33 (selected passages)
Predatory behavior which takes advantage
of public opinion and fears is what bullies do.
From the dawn of humankind’s existence there have been those who act
this way, seizing on opportunities to put God in the background, and put
themselves in charge. It’s a form of Trick-or-Treat;
the trick is the naysayers get to be in God’s place, while the treat is those
tricked get to breathe a sigh of relief…false as the promises might be.
Masking and costumes are a way of
attempting to diffuse the terror relationship we humans have with our
mortality. Among some of the ancient
Celtic traditions is the practice of impersonating terrifying mythical
creatures as a means of dissipating fear of the unknown. Many pagan celebrations at this time of year
are meant to stave-off the harsh impact of winter. By imitating death with masks, it was thought
to hold back the coming cold bleakness. But,
as with whistling in the dark, making light of reality changes nothing. Ghost and goblin masks on children don’t have
a chance against death.
For the church, today is the evening vigil
before All Saints Day (All Hallows Eve or Hallowe’en), and begins three day’s observance
of departed believers, ending on All Souls Day (the entire celebration is
called All Hallows Tide[2]). The central focus is on the faith which is
common to both the church here on earth, and the church triumphant,
those already in the presence of our Lord.
I would get disagreement on both sides of
this argument (probably from both believers and pagans), but neither Halloween,
nor horror movies scare me. Nor does the
practice of Trick-or-Treat bother me. In my parents’ generation (Great Depression
era), and in their part of the world, the cultural norm for the practice was not
on October 31st, but closer to Thanksgiving, when the children would
go door to door. Their phrase, with
outstretched little palms, was Pennies for Thanksgiving. (Well…it was a long time ago; today it would
be 10-Bucks for Turkey Day)
Whether one is bothered by the holiday
frenzy with Trick-or-Treating, or simply glad the children get to dress-up and
have a ball, there is one matter that concerns (at least) me; I fear we have dropped
the ball in the cycle of the Christian Year.
Our disconnect from a sacred observance of triumph over death (ironically
celebrated in the culture by holding up death as the ultimate celebrity) further
serves to isolate our culture’s children from the genuine cure for our morbid
fears…Christ’s victory over death.
It’s been fifteen years since Mel Gibson’s
movie The Passion of Christ hit the big screens. I recall watching that movie for the first
time shortly after it was available on DVD; I couldn’t sleep for a week. The depictions of the violence done to Jesus
in the scourging and crucifixion gave the film an R rating. It should have been “HS” for heart
and soul-squeezing.
The sinister nature of Satan’s attempts to insert himself into Christ’s
mind made any Steven King movie seem like a Sesame Street production. In short…I bought the DVD and watch it every
so often. With our culture’s fascination
with masks and unreality (Walking Dead, etc.), I want a constant reminder of
reality; the Lord Jesus who never abandons me and takes all the fear out of
death’s sting.
For You Today
If you’re into Trick-or-Treating you’ll
get little criticism from me. But while you’re
taking your kids from door to door, don’t forget to teach them the real reason
for this season!
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