Halloween is just around the corner. Although some don’t agree with me, I have always liked Halloween. This is mainly because of my love for history. Halloween is all about history. November 1 is All Saints Day, the day in the Church calendar when Christians are called to remember the faithful departed, those heroes of the faith who have gone before us. These can be the well-known people or the relatives in our family that have impacted our lives. It is a day to spend remembering.
I remember my grandmother. Her family was very moral but not very religious; she had a strong faith, though. My grandpa did not go to church, but my grandma attended faithfully, helping out with Bible studies, women’s ministry, and office work. She loved Jesus and her church. My grandma was so proud of me for graduating college and becoming a pastor. She invested in me and helped shape my faith. She is gone from this life, but she is alive in heaven right now, worshipping the Lord. On Halloween, I get to talk to my kids about the faith of their great-grandmother. They are part of a legacy of faith, and it is their calling to pass on that faith to others. I also love sharing stories about Justin Martyr, Athanasius, Perpetua and Felicity, Augustine, and Joan of Arc.
All Saints Day is amazing, and so is Halloween. Halloween simply means “All hallows e’en” – the evening before All Saints (or “hallows”) Day. Halloween is fun! It is a great time to connect in the community and get to know your neighbors, and that doesn’t happen enough for most of us. And Halloween means we can dress up, have fun, and eat too much candy. Sweet!
Hebrews 12:1 says that Christians are surrounded with a great crowd of witnesses to the life of faith. Tragically, we don’t take enough time to remember these witnesses. Hebrews 11 is a great place to start. Remembering our relatives who loved Jesus is another good place. Halloween is a time to have fun, and it is a time to remember the faithful people who have gone before you. Take the time to share stories about your faith heroes – from the Bible, from history, and from your own life.
