The Devil's Birthday?
It really did happen - one of my son's teachers told the class that Halloween was the devil's birthday and they really shouldn't celebrate it. I would agree - you shouldn't celebrate the devil's birthday - but Halloween is not the devil's birthday - in Christianity the devil does not have a 'birthday'. Perhaps there are other religions that celebrate that - but not Christianity.The thought that All Saints Day would be a celebration of evil is mostly Hollywood combined with scary ghost stories and superstition. Couple this with an unhealthy interest in the powers of evil and the supernatural and you end up with a pretty scary concept of Halloween. It seems that preachers have often cottoned on to the theme and spun some fairly elaborate tales and theologies around the notion of Halloween that results in what it is in some people's imaginations today.
Is it in the Bible?
Halloween is not in the Bible. Which is good to know. Also, not in the Bible, is a lot of details about ghosts, the supernatural, haunted houses - and a lot of information about demons and how to get rid of them. The thing is - demons and evil spirits don't play a leading role in the scriptures. In the gospels Jesus deals swiftly and decisively with demons. On one occasion when the disciples struggle to cast out a demon Jesus responds by quickly casting it out and then telling them that 'this kind can only come out through prayer' (Mark 9:29). Jesus doesn't offer a Hollywood friendly solution - we'd prefer holy water, talismans, special chants, prayers and techniques. Basically - Jesus reminds Christians to ask God for help - and trust him for it.'Good Kings' in the Old Testament rid the land of 'mediums' and 'spiritists' - people who claimed to have the authority to influence the dead, contact the dead, and use supernatural powers to help or curse according the will of their clients. These mediums of spiritual abuse are roundly condemned in scripture. But there is one interesting Biblical encounter with a medium known as 'the witch of Endor.'
What is in the Bible?
Life after Death
The story of the 'Witch of Endor' is a great ghost story to start a conversation about beliefs in life after death and the power of mediums - King Saul has banned spiritists and mediums from the land - but he needs guidance and God doesn't seem to be answering his prayers. So he asks his servants to find him a medium, he disguises himself and goes to the woman at night...He asks her to summon the spirit of Samuel (the prophet) for him; she calls him up - Saul speaks to Samuel; Samuel complains "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" (1 Samuel 28:15) But he still prophesies against Saul and his Kingdom - even in death, as a spirit.
This is a disturbing story - someone who had died has a conversation with someone living.
The hope of Heaven
1 Samuel 28 offers us curious insight into the idea that the spirits of those who have died can communicate with the living. Samuel complains that Saul has 'disturbed' him - leading us to understand that he was possibly in some state of peaceful rest. There is not much mention of resurrection or life after death in the Old Testament - in hindsight - after the resurrection of Jesus Christians are able to understand Old Testament passages in new light - implying life after death and the hope of resurrection; but there was no clearly delineated hope.It is only in the very late work of Daniel that we find overt reference to resurrection, Daniel 12:2-3:
"Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever..."The hope of heaven is more clearly outlined in the New Testament - but still - the words about heaven, the descriptions offered by Jesus and the apostles are just glimpses of something that can not be fully and clearly described. What they do describe is the hope of justice - a bringing down of those who are too high up and a lifting up of those who are too low down.
- Daniel 12:2-3
There is much in Revelation that is difficult, if not impossible to understand today - but in the midst is the beautiful hope described in Revelation 7 - of the saints in heaven being comforted by God himself - who wipes away the tears from their eyes. The resting place (implied in 1 Samuel 28) the hope of 'waking up' described in Daniel 12; John's vision of the lamb and God the comforter in Revelation 7 point to a heavenly hope.
What John describes is the beauty of a heavenly worshiping community. A picture of hope for Christians living through the struggles of ministry and life - as they work for the coming of his Kingdom. What John sees - that should encourage Christians living in his time - is the hope of thousands and thousands of people from every tribe and nation worshiping around the throne of God; the hope of heaven fulfilled.
After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
- Revelation 7:9-10
The Witness of the Saints
In the letter to the Hebrews we read that we are 'surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,' (Hebrews 12:1) the picture the writer paints makes you think of a sports stadium with a crowd roaring their support for the victorious athletes. Combine that with the imagery of Revelation 7:9-10 and you can imagine a heavenly crowd that worships God in heaven, their anthem is 'Salvation belongs to our God' and they long with all creation for the revealing of the children of God (Romans 8:19). We are surrounded by this cloud of witnesses - and we ought to remember them as a source of inspiration and courage.The problem with the language around this sort of idea is that it is largely figurative - we're not sure if it it will all happen exactly like this. Any scriptural language that describes the spiritual reality of heaven, life after death, resurrection, new creation and all of these abstract concepts has to accommodate the limits of our understanding.
The Promise and Hope of Sanctification
Finally - All Saints, or All halos, reminds us of the hope that we have of 'sanctification' - being made holy. To be holy is to be a child of God - to internalise the character of God - love, mercy, like the love and mercy of God become the core values around which our lives are built. From the moment of our justification God begins to transform us into his likeness. The thing is - heaven will not be heavenly if we are not transformed in character before we get there.In 1 Corinthians 15:52 Paul describes the transformation that must take place before heaven comes. "...in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet... we will be changed." God will complete the work that he has begun in us now - and bring us - at last, to the perfection for which we were created.
A Day?
So just as Pentecost, Easter, Christmas and other festivals of the Christian year were established with no Biblical precedent for them - so also, All Saints Day became a tradition. A moment to remember the hope that we have - life after death, the coming day of justice, the promised hope of sanctification. An opportunity for the church to teach about these things - and to respond to God in worship - because of these things.The problem is - people are superstitious; especially when it comes to death, dying, ghosts and ghost stories. Throughout the ages - even though people became Christian, they continued to pay attention to their cultural traditions around death. In the Celtic tradition the Samhain season was a time of superstition; as the harvest ended and winter began, the land got darker. People believed that evil spirits might take up the opportunity of the darkness to cause mischief or exact revenge on those who had wronged them.
One of the traditions around Samhain was to dress up / disguise people in order to confuse / scare the spirits that might come looking for them in order to curse them. Superstitions were rife - and obviously ideas around death and fear of the dead are ripe for all sorts of abuse.
All Saints Day has been celebrated in the church since as early as the late 4th century. In the 8th century it came to be celebrated on November 1. For the Celtic nations this was helpful - the church was able to engage with the problems and superstitions around death and dying and offer a decent Christian Theological response.
Celebrate?
So - should you celebrate All Saints Day and Halloween? (By the way 'Halloween' is an abbreviation of 'All halo's eve' or 'All saints eve'). Holy days begin and end with sunset - worship services, celebrations and feasts would happen the night before the holy day; hence 'All Saints Eve'.I think you should celebrate Halloween (All saints) - but celebrate it as a Christian. Celebrate the fact that because of Jesus and the hope we have in a loving God you don't have to fear spirits and partake in superstitious activities to appease the spirits that might be upset with you. Celebrate Christian hope in the face of death. Celebrate the faithful who have gone before us - setting us an example of what it is to be a Christian, joining the cloud of witnesses that encourage us to press on. Celebrate the hope that you have of being 'sanctified' as God completes the work that he has begun in you.
If your children dress up as scary creatures at school or to go trick or treating tell them the history of why people dress up at All Saints - a memory of the days when people would disguise themselves because they were afraid of evil Spirits. We do it these days to poke fun at ourselves and our superstitions. We do it to celebrate the fact that we need not be afraid.
If kids come trick or treating at your house welcome them with joy, give them sweets, laugh with them, don't let their first experience of 'Christians' be people who are afraid of kids dressed up as monsters.
Isn't all saints a great opportunity to meet your neighbors? And maybe, if they find out you're a Christian and you celebrate Halloween you could tell them the good news about it!
