We were talking about tithing - about giving money to the church. Quite a lot of money in fact. I have a few opinions about this. I think the church's teaching on tithing is quite manipulative at times. I think Jesus wants you more than your money. But I do think that church members should contribute proportionally to the life and ministry of the church.
I find it amazing how the poorest of the poor struggle to put coins together to give their portion. And interesting to see how the wealthiest find ways and means to justify giving without much commitment - and when they give - to give with strings attached.
But now I'm being judgmental.
Like I said - we were talking about tithing - and the question was asked: "What do I get?"
I have to bite my tongue to keep myself from saying: "You get to come and die."
But it made me think about the temptation to answer the question: "What do I get?" I would love to promise you an air conditioned sanctuary; padded seats - and professional musicians to give you what you want. But that is not what is on offer.
What is on offer - is the opportunity to die to yourself and become part of something bigger.
When a friend of mine was talking about the decision not to have children I was struck by how much I thought I should encourage him to have children. As we discussed the options I found myself saying that having kids has taught me to live outside of myself. (I don't know if I convinced my friend to have children - but he now has two.) But one thing I want people to know is that tithing is the opportunity to give. And not to get.
What you do get (I hope) is a robust community dedicated to discipleship. Resourced to minister the truth of the gospel to both the wealthy and the poor. Resourced to co-ordinate the care of orphans; training of ministers and teachers, the building of hospitals. Resourced to communicate the good news of the Kingdom of God and all that that entails.
All of these things that you get are not for you. They are for God.
Super Confident Christians - Do not be afraid of them...
You may say to yourself, “How can we recognize a word that the LORD has not spoken?” If a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it.
- Deuteronomy 18:21-22 (NRSV)
Just before this verse Deuteronomy warns that false prophets; or prophets who 'presume to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded' (Deuteronomy 18:20) 'shall die.'
Whenever we speak of God I think we should whisper / cover our mouths in humility; it is a dangerous thing to stand up and say: "Thus says the Lord..."
If I feel 'led' this way or that; if I pray and agonize all night about the message I should preach on Sunday because I know not everyone will like it; and feel 1000% convinced that this is of God. When the the conviction / the fire in my bones (Jer 20:9) is so strong it bursts in me; I still never stand up and say: "God has laid it on my heart to tell you this..."
I won't tell you how much I've prayed, I won't tell you how I have sweated over what it is I have to say. I believe that if what I have to say is from God; then it will be the job of the Holy Spirit to say yes in you. And I want you to know that sometimes I don't pray or prepare as much as I should - just in case you start to think that everything I say comes from the same place of conviction.
In fact - whenever someone starts with: "The Lord told me..." or "God has laid it on my heart to tell you..." I shut down. I worry about the person speaking; are you going to implicate yourself in blasphemy? Rather - humbly say: Do you think God is telling us to do... Does that resonate with you and the Holy Spirit?
Even the council of apostles in Acts when confronted with a difficult and delicate Theological and church polity problem - after debate and discernment on the highest level simply responded with the words: "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us..." Such a humble way for such authoritative people to speak. A way that offers you the chance to say in your heart - does this seem good to the Holy Spirit and to me. Resonance.
Jesus warns us: "For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great sings and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Take note, I have told you beforehand..."
- Matthew 24:24
Too often we think that this is all about people who come along and pretend to be Jesus; we'd see through that one straight away (although some people fall for the trick). False prophets are subtle; everything they say sounds Biblical; sounds orthodox - they encourage you not to think too much about what they are saying, if you correct them they tell you that you are judgmental or you lack faith.
They never stand up and say Jesus is a monkey from Mars and you need to drink this cool-aid. They start by saying: The reason you don't have healing is that you haven't yet caught the tail of Jesus. Your church hasn't told you about the tail because they are afraid of its power... (They actually tell more believable and credible sounding stories but I liked the monkey example.)
The worry about the false prophets is that they target the kindest, sweetest, most innocent and lovely people. They promise a gospel that solves all the problems of the world with miracle cures and the kindest people wish that there hopeful stories were true. But the gospel is not the answer to our wishful dreams - the gospel calls us to the tough task of faithful, life sacrificing discipleship.
The worst example is the miracle healing crusaders that take up lots of cash to fly around in aeroplanes and some even charge money for you to go to miracle school. Normal - less spectacular 'honest to God' Christianity arrives in impoverished places; establishes schools, send graduates to varsity, establish hospitals and teaching hospitals... and miracles happen.
So - don't be afraid of those who speak to confidently about all the stuff they think God told them - and all the stuff they think God is doing; but they can't prove it.
Ask the questions.
Dissect the answers.
And if the answers are simply deflections or a call to 'just have faith'. Remind them that faith in Jesus is faith in a physically real - incarnational God. And not a case for 'just have faith'.
- Deuteronomy 18:21-22 (NRSV)
Just before this verse Deuteronomy warns that false prophets; or prophets who 'presume to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded' (Deuteronomy 18:20) 'shall die.'
Whenever we speak of God I think we should whisper / cover our mouths in humility; it is a dangerous thing to stand up and say: "Thus says the Lord..."
If I feel 'led' this way or that; if I pray and agonize all night about the message I should preach on Sunday because I know not everyone will like it; and feel 1000% convinced that this is of God. When the the conviction / the fire in my bones (Jer 20:9) is so strong it bursts in me; I still never stand up and say: "God has laid it on my heart to tell you this..."
I won't tell you how much I've prayed, I won't tell you how I have sweated over what it is I have to say. I believe that if what I have to say is from God; then it will be the job of the Holy Spirit to say yes in you. And I want you to know that sometimes I don't pray or prepare as much as I should - just in case you start to think that everything I say comes from the same place of conviction.
In fact - whenever someone starts with: "The Lord told me..." or "God has laid it on my heart to tell you..." I shut down. I worry about the person speaking; are you going to implicate yourself in blasphemy? Rather - humbly say: Do you think God is telling us to do... Does that resonate with you and the Holy Spirit?
Even the council of apostles in Acts when confronted with a difficult and delicate Theological and church polity problem - after debate and discernment on the highest level simply responded with the words: "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us..." Such a humble way for such authoritative people to speak. A way that offers you the chance to say in your heart - does this seem good to the Holy Spirit and to me. Resonance.
Jesus warns us: "For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great sings and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Take note, I have told you beforehand..."
- Matthew 24:24
Too often we think that this is all about people who come along and pretend to be Jesus; we'd see through that one straight away (although some people fall for the trick). False prophets are subtle; everything they say sounds Biblical; sounds orthodox - they encourage you not to think too much about what they are saying, if you correct them they tell you that you are judgmental or you lack faith.
They never stand up and say Jesus is a monkey from Mars and you need to drink this cool-aid. They start by saying: The reason you don't have healing is that you haven't yet caught the tail of Jesus. Your church hasn't told you about the tail because they are afraid of its power... (They actually tell more believable and credible sounding stories but I liked the monkey example.)
The worry about the false prophets is that they target the kindest, sweetest, most innocent and lovely people. They promise a gospel that solves all the problems of the world with miracle cures and the kindest people wish that there hopeful stories were true. But the gospel is not the answer to our wishful dreams - the gospel calls us to the tough task of faithful, life sacrificing discipleship.
The worst example is the miracle healing crusaders that take up lots of cash to fly around in aeroplanes and some even charge money for you to go to miracle school. Normal - less spectacular 'honest to God' Christianity arrives in impoverished places; establishes schools, send graduates to varsity, establish hospitals and teaching hospitals... and miracles happen.
So - don't be afraid of those who speak to confidently about all the stuff they think God told them - and all the stuff they think God is doing; but they can't prove it.
Ask the questions.
Dissect the answers.
And if the answers are simply deflections or a call to 'just have faith'. Remind them that faith in Jesus is faith in a physically real - incarnational God. And not a case for 'just have faith'.
Worship Practice
Brett Fish Anderson wrote a helpful reflection on his experience of worship at the Passion Conference 2016. I thought it was well balanced, and critical of the worshiptainment phenomenon. Check it out here: http://brettfish.co.za/2016/02/14/the-passion-of-the-chris/
"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. "
- Colossians 2:8
It might not stink to you - you're used to the smell. So if we point out smell stuff to each other - we might all end up going in the right direction.
Isaiah's tirade in Isaiah 65:1-5 is about idolatry and superstition. God has said (gracefully and preveniently):
"'Here am I, here am I.' All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations -" - Isaiah 65:1-2
This is the problem - God has revealed himself very clearly, simply, perfectly and beautifully in the person and work of Jesus. You don't need to go looking. You don't need a new and special revelation. You don't need a new anointing or impartation - you just need open eyes. Jesus says 'Here I am'. All you need is the simple word of the gospel. No laser lights or gimmicks. No going out into the wilderness to find him - or in the secret rooms - as obvious as lightening across the heavens. (Matthew 24:24-26)
Jesus is raw. Jesus is obvious. Jesus is pure. Jesus is a little bit complicated. Jesus makes us uncomfortable. Jesus obviously and directly calls us to love all our neighbours - even the foreign ones. He directly threatens the rich man with hell for not tending to the beggar at his gate (Luke 16:19-31). He calls those who serve the poor 'sheep' (promises them heaven) and those who ignore them 'goats' (promises them punishment) (Matthew 25:31-46).
There is no need for imagination when it comes to Jesus. Unless he makes you uncomfortable. In which case - a bit of imagination will be necessary - you will have to re-imagine Jesus in your own image. According to your likeness. I have to confess that I am guilty of often doing the same. But God says:
“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” - Matthew 17:5
We're meant to listen to Jesus. But instead we listen to our 'opinion' of him. Or we latch on to this or that pastor's opinion. We invent a new God; a watered down God. An entertaining God. A crowd pleasing God. An easy God. We sing easy songs that seldom mention our 'wretchedness' we pretend that we have no sin. We end up imagining a Jesus who does not judge us - who only loves us.
Our vision of the Kingdom of God is more about getting to heaven than it is about heaven on Earth. We try to live our lives on a diet of donuts, pizza and coke; we live on a sugar buzz - but we don't want to eat our vegetables - especially at church on Sunday morning.
And so we end up with worship that has little to do with Jesus - although we often mention his name; but only on our terms. "My Jesus, my saviour..." We want songs that make us happy. Jumpy, joyful songs about all that Jesus can do for you.
So, on Earth we mimic heaven.
I remember a profound heavenly worship moment. As a teenager I joined the Methodist Church; and because those were the Apartheid days I was only exposed to the white part of the Methodist church. I had seen a few 'Manyano' women at church - meeting at 3pm (time off for domestic servants on a Sunday afternoon). Our church participated in something called a 'celebrate Jesus march'. We jumped on the back of a truck and sang worship songs as we paraded through town to a large stadium.
We filed into the stadium. The local megachurch had provided the biggest sound system available; with a band of the most skilled worship 'leaders'. We filed in - church after church after church. But there was still a lot of open space.
Last of all - women in red uniforms started to file in. The local megachurch led a few well known choruses. The women in red uniform (Manyano) kept on coming. Until they had filled the other half of the stadium.
They did not know the songs that the megachurch knew. The Manyano were quiet. But eventually worship had to burst out of them. I watched (and chuckled in pride) as the giant speakers and the praise band blared in frustration - totally drowned out by the hymns of the Manyano... They did not have a chance.
And the Manyano had no worship leader. No praise band. Just several thousand hearts and voices overwhelming the stadium with songs I did not yet know. And the deep pounding rhythm of 'bump bumps'. The gentle sway of red and white.
Revelation 7 describes no worship leaders. Just a multitude worshiping God in beautiful wholeness. Angels falling on their faces before the throne. With the grain of the universe. The only spectacle is God himself.
I think most of us white Christians gave up and moved out on that day. The worship was not according to our taste...
Ancient churches focused in on the altar - the church's meal table. The choir at the back - or in the front but facing perpendicular to the congregation rather than 'at' the congregation. Choirs are quite a modern thing.
Nobody was worshiping the sacrament. They were remembering Jesus' body... the lamb that was slain "For the lamb at the center before the throne will be their shepherd." - Rev 7:17 But the table where communion was to take place was a focal point. With a cross on top of it.
Most hymns were simple and derived from the Psalms and Canticles (Hymns like Mary's song and various chants from Revelation) in scripture. When organs and four part harmony were brought in it was very controversial - they were seen as too worldly and extravagant.
Simplicity forces us to focus our hearts and minds not on personalities or gimmicks - but solely on God.
Music is allowed to flow from the heart of the congregation; in unison. Prayer that is sung; with the whole body.
Can we as a church embrace this simple heavenly way of worshipping God? Can we take the focus off the 'worship leaders' and the speakers, lights and AV stuff? When we worship God can we ask ourselves honestly 'what pleases God' not 'what pleases me?'
And think that heavenly worship involves community.
When we pray 'On Earth as it is in Heaven' we should look at the body of Christ around us and wonder why this is not a "great multitude... from every nation, tribe, people and language..." - Rev 7:9
And then we should ask ourselves: Why is my community mostly this or that language? Why is it mostly this or that colour? What can we do to change this? We should ask: Who is missing? Why are there no geologists here? Where have the doctors gone? Why no rubbish collectors? Where are the school teachers? Where are the nurses?
I also must let you know that I stand up in front of church every Sunday and lead the singing with my guitar - accompanied by a band of singers and musicians.
I'm not sure how we could make them less conspicuous? Could we squash them to the side of the church? What could we do?
And is it about whether the smell offends my nostrils?
Obnoxious to my nostrils (Isaiah 65:1-5)
I don't think I could have gone to the show - I think it would have been 'obnoxious to my nostrils' (Isaiah 65:1-5). Now funny smells are interesting things - apparently my feet stink (sometimes) but the stink creeps in gently throughout the day and by the end of the day I'm used to the smell so I do nothing about it. So to begin - I shouldn't go around telling other people that their feet stink when mine do too. But - critical conversation is key to authentic Christianity:"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. "
- Colossians 2:8
It might not stink to you - you're used to the smell. So if we point out smell stuff to each other - we might all end up going in the right direction.
Isaiah's tirade in Isaiah 65:1-5 is about idolatry and superstition. God has said (gracefully and preveniently):
"'Here am I, here am I.' All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations -" - Isaiah 65:1-2
This is the problem - God has revealed himself very clearly, simply, perfectly and beautifully in the person and work of Jesus. You don't need to go looking. You don't need a new and special revelation. You don't need a new anointing or impartation - you just need open eyes. Jesus says 'Here I am'. All you need is the simple word of the gospel. No laser lights or gimmicks. No going out into the wilderness to find him - or in the secret rooms - as obvious as lightening across the heavens. (Matthew 24:24-26)
Jesus is raw. Jesus is obvious. Jesus is pure. Jesus is a little bit complicated. Jesus makes us uncomfortable. Jesus obviously and directly calls us to love all our neighbours - even the foreign ones. He directly threatens the rich man with hell for not tending to the beggar at his gate (Luke 16:19-31). He calls those who serve the poor 'sheep' (promises them heaven) and those who ignore them 'goats' (promises them punishment) (Matthew 25:31-46).
There is no need for imagination when it comes to Jesus. Unless he makes you uncomfortable. In which case - a bit of imagination will be necessary - you will have to re-imagine Jesus in your own image. According to your likeness. I have to confess that I am guilty of often doing the same. But God says:
“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” - Matthew 17:5
We're meant to listen to Jesus. But instead we listen to our 'opinion' of him. Or we latch on to this or that pastor's opinion. We invent a new God; a watered down God. An entertaining God. A crowd pleasing God. An easy God. We sing easy songs that seldom mention our 'wretchedness' we pretend that we have no sin. We end up imagining a Jesus who does not judge us - who only loves us.
Our vision of the Kingdom of God is more about getting to heaven than it is about heaven on Earth. We try to live our lives on a diet of donuts, pizza and coke; we live on a sugar buzz - but we don't want to eat our vegetables - especially at church on Sunday morning.
And so we end up with worship that has little to do with Jesus - although we often mention his name; but only on our terms. "My Jesus, my saviour..." We want songs that make us happy. Jumpy, joyful songs about all that Jesus can do for you.
Worship is Worship Practice (Revelation 7:9-12)
John's experience of heaven in Revelation 7 helps Christians to see how things really should be (on earth as it is in heaven). Gathering together in church. Taking communion together. Is a 'foretaste of the divine heavenly banquet'. Worship is a chance for us to practice being together in a community of diverse people. Worship is a chance to practice justice among this diverse bunch of people - of different financial and social status. Of different colour skin. Of different language. You might as well get used to it - because that is the way God is leading us.So, on Earth we mimic heaven.
I remember a profound heavenly worship moment. As a teenager I joined the Methodist Church; and because those were the Apartheid days I was only exposed to the white part of the Methodist church. I had seen a few 'Manyano' women at church - meeting at 3pm (time off for domestic servants on a Sunday afternoon). Our church participated in something called a 'celebrate Jesus march'. We jumped on the back of a truck and sang worship songs as we paraded through town to a large stadium.
We filed into the stadium. The local megachurch had provided the biggest sound system available; with a band of the most skilled worship 'leaders'. We filed in - church after church after church. But there was still a lot of open space.
Last of all - women in red uniforms started to file in. The local megachurch led a few well known choruses. The women in red uniform (Manyano) kept on coming. Until they had filled the other half of the stadium.
They did not know the songs that the megachurch knew. The Manyano were quiet. But eventually worship had to burst out of them. I watched (and chuckled in pride) as the giant speakers and the praise band blared in frustration - totally drowned out by the hymns of the Manyano... They did not have a chance.
And the Manyano had no worship leader. No praise band. Just several thousand hearts and voices overwhelming the stadium with songs I did not yet know. And the deep pounding rhythm of 'bump bumps'. The gentle sway of red and white.
Revelation 7 describes no worship leaders. Just a multitude worshiping God in beautiful wholeness. Angels falling on their faces before the throne. With the grain of the universe. The only spectacle is God himself.
I think most of us white Christians gave up and moved out on that day. The worship was not according to our taste...
Practicing Worship
Simple Style (Revelation 7:10)
If we are practicing for heaven. And trying to practice heaven. We must ask whether our worship (and our worship events) reflect heaven.Ancient churches focused in on the altar - the church's meal table. The choir at the back - or in the front but facing perpendicular to the congregation rather than 'at' the congregation. Choirs are quite a modern thing.
Nobody was worshiping the sacrament. They were remembering Jesus' body... the lamb that was slain "For the lamb at the center before the throne will be their shepherd." - Rev 7:17 But the table where communion was to take place was a focal point. With a cross on top of it.
Most hymns were simple and derived from the Psalms and Canticles (Hymns like Mary's song and various chants from Revelation) in scripture. When organs and four part harmony were brought in it was very controversial - they were seen as too worldly and extravagant.
Simplicity forces us to focus our hearts and minds not on personalities or gimmicks - but solely on God.
Music is allowed to flow from the heart of the congregation; in unison. Prayer that is sung; with the whole body.
Community (Revelation 7:9)
All of this means that every worshiper gets lost in the crowd. Revelation 7:9 describes a vast crowd; all wearing white robes, from every language tribe and nation - no individual is picked out (and I imagine that among those thousands there are bishops, popes, presidents, prostitutes, Methodists, Catholics all lost in a crowd of equals before God.)Can we as a church embrace this simple heavenly way of worshipping God? Can we take the focus off the 'worship leaders' and the speakers, lights and AV stuff? When we worship God can we ask ourselves honestly 'what pleases God' not 'what pleases me?'
And think that heavenly worship involves community.
When we pray 'On Earth as it is in Heaven' we should look at the body of Christ around us and wonder why this is not a "great multitude... from every nation, tribe, people and language..." - Rev 7:9
And then we should ask ourselves: Why is my community mostly this or that language? Why is it mostly this or that colour? What can we do to change this? We should ask: Who is missing? Why are there no geologists here? Where have the doctors gone? Why no rubbish collectors? Where are the school teachers? Where are the nurses?
My Favourite Smell
I have to confess, the smell that least offends me is the smell of my own feet. But worship accompanied by lights, AV effects, that celebrates celebrities doesn't seem to be a good reflection of that which is in heaven.I also must let you know that I stand up in front of church every Sunday and lead the singing with my guitar - accompanied by a band of singers and musicians.
I'm not sure how we could make them less conspicuous? Could we squash them to the side of the church? What could we do?
And is it about whether the smell offends my nostrils?
Leading in another language...
This year as I wondered how to lead the covenant service in my church - especially in isiXhosa. I thought I should find someone to read the liturgy for me. My bishop; in his wisdom challenged us at a meeting of ministers working in 'mixed culture' contexts.
He said something to this effect: 'You white ministers that lead Xhosa societies; don't go getting other people in to lead the covenant, learn to do it yourselves!'
He said something to this effect: 'You white ministers that lead Xhosa societies; don't go getting other people in to lead the covenant, learn to do it yourselves!'
I was a bit cross with him for being so mean to us white ministers. I had a vision of my pending embarrassment in front of my patient congregation. I nearly called for back up at the last minute; but remembered that my ordained friends had their own barriers to cross that Sunday. And I had to do what I was called to do.
As an English person - in my arrogance, because of the legacy of empire I have not submitted to any other language. I can speak and understand Afrikaans; but when I start - people who speak Afrikaans feel sorry for me and help me out. I think I take advantage.
Is it only English people who get to hear their language injured by a foreign tongue?
I now realize that hearing your language injured by a foreign tongue is actually a privilege. A privilege enjoyed only by those in power. Those important enough not to bother reaching their hands and ears across the void of intelligibility.
So I stumbled on - and afterwards thanked the congregation for their patience.
Some people can't stand hearing their mother tongue so badly represented. They move to greener pastures where Xhosa reigns. I don't blame them. I much prefer hearing my own language spoken; my whole neck gets stiff trying to say and sing strange words. Cultural faux pas abound. I spend my life worrying that what I've said or done may unwittingly offend someone. And I'm quite sure that Satan will take advantage of every chink.
But then - I am a minister. Ordained by the laying on of hands to 'represent'. And I represent the church. The church in its frailty; with its faltering, stammering attempt at communicating the Word of God to the world. And though I stammer I still go. And when I lead in a language difficult for me to pronounce I still represent the community of God in all its blackness, brownness, whiteness and greyness. Often, not so well.
So thank you church for teaching me to cross language boundaries. And thank you for the vulnerability inherent in doing so. And I'll keep trying. And together we'll bear with one another in love.
Gus
Become a Seed
Praying through my despondency
my loss of hope
waning courage.
As I watch the world around me in its brokenness.
And am painfully aware of my brokenness in it.
I hear a still small voice.
"...become a seed."
"You know what you must become,
you must become a seed."
A seed is nothing.
It lays in dusty dirt. Powerless.
No self determination.
But, in God it becomes.
And that is all I need to know.
my loss of hope
waning courage.
As I watch the world around me in its brokenness.
And am painfully aware of my brokenness in it.
I hear a still small voice.
"...become a seed."
"You know what you must become,
you must become a seed."
A seed is nothing.
It lays in dusty dirt. Powerless.
No self determination.
But, in God it becomes.
And that is all I need to know.
Night of Hell, Day of Heaven...
Some thoughts on the Christian Origin of Halloween...
This past All Saints / Halloween was especially interesting because Halloween was on a Saturday night and All Saints on Sunday morning. The kids in my neighbourhood went to a lot of trouble to look as scary as they could; one of my neighbours even made a few fresh looking graves on his front garden.
To tell you the truth it all gives me the creeps. It is quite ghoulish - and a little bit scary. But all of
this helped me to understand what the church of the past few centuries has tried to convey on Halloween and All Saints Day. The contradiction between that which is Hellish and that which is Holy.
Dressing up as ghosts and wondering around the streets on Halloween is really meant to scare the 'hell out of you...' Medieval mystery plays told moral stories and threatened the most severe and hellish punishments for those who did not choose to follow God and do what was good. If you read Dante's inferno and listen to the descriptions of disembodied spirits suffering in torment in hell you'll get an idea of the kind of images that people used to scare people.
Graves - pumpkins carved to look like demented demons, people dressed as the walking dead - all of this designed to make you ask yourself - what is the condition of my soul?
I'm not a very hell fire and brimstone preacher. The graves, the ghouls, the ghosts make me feel a bit uncomfortable - but it made me think about evil; about the death that results from our evil - and it made me look forward to church on Sunday morning. From the night of terror to the dawn of all saints day - a presentation of the alternative...
On all saints day I spoke of God's promised alternative to the horror of Halloween night. I explained the halos in depictions of the saints - a graphic depiction of 2 Corinthians 3:18 -
"And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit."
Saints - or the 'sanctified' are those who have been completely transformed by the glory of God - who reflect the glory of God; the light of God - into the world. Gold halos around their heads are meant to depict their reflection of God's glory.
The other passage that I thought was relevant is 1 John 4:17-21 a passage that invites you to examine your soul. Verse 17-18 reminds us: "We may have boldness on the day of judgment... There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." The graves, the ghosts, the demons are meant to make you fear hell and worry about judgment - 1 John 4:17 reminds us that we need not fear all of this because in Christ we have been perfected: "...as he is, so are we in this world." (Vs 17) More simply translated (and interpreted) in the TNIV "...in this world we are like Jesus."
After all the angry, scary, ghouls and ghosts - to think of a world, a heaven, full of people who are full of love, light and joy - like Jesus; is a hopeful contradiction.
The problem is - All Saints Evening / All Hallow's Even / Halloween - went viral. Frights and scary costumes are too much fun to resist; and so you get all sorts of things happening on Halloween... just like Christmas - there is not as much focus on faith as Christians would like. But it might be a good idea to teach your children the Christian origin of Halloween.
The trick or treat part is symbolic of choosing heaven or hell. Heaven is often depicted as a feast (cf Psalm 23 "You prepare a table for me..."; Isaiah 25:6 "...the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples...") this would be the 'treat' option; the trick on the other hand - is a terrible fright. When children call out 'trick or treat' you get to give them a fright - or give them some sweets. Next year I plan to lie under my car and grab people's legs as they go past...
Some Christians are very uncomfortable with Halloween - there is quite a lot of misinformation - and there are a lot of people who do unChristian things on Halloween; I don't blame people for avoiding it. I think the death side of things - the graves, skeletons and skulls should help us to take a closer look at our fear of death. And I think - Christians should take every opportunity to teach about hope and light; and should not be afraid of the darkness.
This past All Saints / Halloween was especially interesting because Halloween was on a Saturday night and All Saints on Sunday morning. The kids in my neighbourhood went to a lot of trouble to look as scary as they could; one of my neighbours even made a few fresh looking graves on his front garden.
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| Hell - depicted in a C21 reenactment C8 mystery play. |
To tell you the truth it all gives me the creeps. It is quite ghoulish - and a little bit scary. But all of
this helped me to understand what the church of the past few centuries has tried to convey on Halloween and All Saints Day. The contradiction between that which is Hellish and that which is Holy.
Dressing up as ghosts and wondering around the streets on Halloween is really meant to scare the 'hell out of you...' Medieval mystery plays told moral stories and threatened the most severe and hellish punishments for those who did not choose to follow God and do what was good. If you read Dante's inferno and listen to the descriptions of disembodied spirits suffering in torment in hell you'll get an idea of the kind of images that people used to scare people.
Graves - pumpkins carved to look like demented demons, people dressed as the walking dead - all of this designed to make you ask yourself - what is the condition of my soul?
I'm not a very hell fire and brimstone preacher. The graves, the ghouls, the ghosts make me feel a bit uncomfortable - but it made me think about evil; about the death that results from our evil - and it made me look forward to church on Sunday morning. From the night of terror to the dawn of all saints day - a presentation of the alternative...
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| Heaven |
On all saints day I spoke of God's promised alternative to the horror of Halloween night. I explained the halos in depictions of the saints - a graphic depiction of 2 Corinthians 3:18 -
"And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit."
Saints - or the 'sanctified' are those who have been completely transformed by the glory of God - who reflect the glory of God; the light of God - into the world. Gold halos around their heads are meant to depict their reflection of God's glory.
The other passage that I thought was relevant is 1 John 4:17-21 a passage that invites you to examine your soul. Verse 17-18 reminds us: "We may have boldness on the day of judgment... There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." The graves, the ghosts, the demons are meant to make you fear hell and worry about judgment - 1 John 4:17 reminds us that we need not fear all of this because in Christ we have been perfected: "...as he is, so are we in this world." (Vs 17) More simply translated (and interpreted) in the TNIV "...in this world we are like Jesus."
After all the angry, scary, ghouls and ghosts - to think of a world, a heaven, full of people who are full of love, light and joy - like Jesus; is a hopeful contradiction.
The problem is - All Saints Evening / All Hallow's Even / Halloween - went viral. Frights and scary costumes are too much fun to resist; and so you get all sorts of things happening on Halloween... just like Christmas - there is not as much focus on faith as Christians would like. But it might be a good idea to teach your children the Christian origin of Halloween.
The trick or treat part is symbolic of choosing heaven or hell. Heaven is often depicted as a feast (cf Psalm 23 "You prepare a table for me..."; Isaiah 25:6 "...the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples...") this would be the 'treat' option; the trick on the other hand - is a terrible fright. When children call out 'trick or treat' you get to give them a fright - or give them some sweets. Next year I plan to lie under my car and grab people's legs as they go past...
Some Christians are very uncomfortable with Halloween - there is quite a lot of misinformation - and there are a lot of people who do unChristian things on Halloween; I don't blame people for avoiding it. I think the death side of things - the graves, skeletons and skulls should help us to take a closer look at our fear of death. And I think - Christians should take every opportunity to teach about hope and light; and should not be afraid of the darkness.
Christians should celebrate Halloween (All Saints Day)
Halloween is slang for "All Halo's Eve" - the evening before 'All Saints Day'; or 'All Halo's Day'.
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.
'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.'
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.
It is only in the very late work of Daniel that we find overt reference to resurrection, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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