Well, we’ve made it through Halloween for another year. We’ve
seen jack o’lanterns, black cats, and dancing skeletons for weeks now. We’ve
listened to spooky music on the radio, and we’ve watched Halloween episodes of
our favorite TV shows. We’ve even gone out trick-or-treating with the little
ones despite the windy, rainy weather. Yes, Halloween is a big deal these days.
The very next day, November 1, is All Saints’ Day, another day
that focuses on the dead. At first glance, it appears to be very similar to
Halloween. But the two holidays are
really very different. Halloween was originally a pagan holiday. It was a time
to pacify evil spirits who might want to harm the living. That emphasis on evil
is why being frightened is such a big part of Halloween. The scarier it is, the
better people like it. Ghosts, ghouls, zombies, monsters – they all show up on
Halloween. All Saints’ Day, in contrast, is Christian to the core. On All
Saints’ Day, we focus not on evil spirits; but on our loved ones who are now
resting in the arms of God. On All Saints’ Day, we are surrounded not by werewolves
and vampires, but by cherished memories of family and friends. On All Saints’
Day, we rejoice in the reality of the community of saints that includes both
the living and the dead – our mothers and fathers in the faith who have gone
before us, as well as those of us here who are still among the living.
That great community of saints is why there is such a
difference between Halloween stories and the stories that we tell on All
Saints’ Day. On Halloween, we tell stories about people who are alone. Ghosts
in Halloween stories are always alone. That’s why they haunt places. They are
searching for the companionship that they had in life, but have now lost
forever.
When Fred and I were in Wilmington, North Carolina on
vacation recently, we went on a ghost tour. The tour took us to several places
near downtown Wilmington that claimed to be haunted. At each stop, our guide
told the story of its particular ghost. For example, at a stop on Third Street,
we heard about a young man named Llewelyn Markwick. Markwick lived in
Wilmington in the mid-1700s. He disappeared one night after spending an evening
with his friends. Although an intensive search was conducted, he seemed to have
vanished into thin air. Some years later, a large portion of Third Street blew
away when a hurricane swept through the city. Someone noticed a bony hand
protruding from the sandy roadbed. It turned out that the hand was attached to
the remains of Llewelyn Markwick. Wilmington residents claim that he can still
be seen walking around on Third Street, dressed in colonial garb. Sometimes,
he’s even riding a horse. Is he looking for his family? His friends? His
murderers? No one knows. But he is always alone. Eternally alone. (You can read
this story and others in Ghosts of Old
Wilmington by John Hirchak, Haunted America Press, ©2006.)
You’ll never hear a story like this on All Saints’ Day.
That’s because God’s saints are never alone! They enjoy eternal community with
God, with each other, and with those of us who are still in this life. We might
not see them or hear them; but they are with God, and God is with us; so they
are with us, as well. This community that transcends even death is one of the
most profound gifts that God gives us through the risen Christ. Because Jesus
lives, not even death can break the connection between us and those who are now
living eternally with God. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are still
one community of faith and love.
We know that, don’t we, deep down in our hearts? Sometimes
we feel the loving presence of someone who hasn’t been with us in this life for
years. Perhaps a familiar phrase springs to our lips; and after we’ve said it,
we smile and say, “Ah! I sound just like my Aunt Helen.” We are never alone.
The connections of love are just too strong. And those connections begin in this life, long before we cross the
boundary of death. We come together to worship, to study, and to share our joys
and sorrows. And when we are not physically present with one another, we lift
up each other in prayer. Participating in a community of faith is part of the
foundation of being a Christian!
I sometimes hear the question, “But can’t I be a Christian
by myself? I don’t need other people around me to be a disciple of Jesus.” And
technically, that’s right. There’s nothing in the Old or the New Testament that
says, “Thou shalt gather in community on a regular basis.” But all of scripture
assumes that we do that anyway! The Bible was written by a faith community for
a faith community. And how much richer our lives are when we join together in
community! Those of us who are strong in our faith are able to support those
who are weaker. Folks who have read scripture for years can help others to
learn about it. Younger people with physical strength can help those who are growing
frail. And Christians who have financial resources can share with others who
have less. Sure, each one of us could work and study and worship by ourselves.
But why would we want to? The saints we remember today showed us what it meant
to live for one another. They taught us, supported us, challenged us, nurtured
us, and loved us. Isn’t that why we remember them? They set an example for us
to follow – a community of believers who trusted God, loved Jesus, and lived
their lives through the Holy Spirit.
That community is still alive. It lives on in the lives of
each one of us here today. The saints who are gone still inspire us, guide us,
and sometimes even correct us. By the grace of God, they are still a part of this community of faith.
And so are we all, until time has ticked out its last second, and the eternity
of God’s kingdom has arrived in its fullness. We are always in a community – an
eternal community – by the grace of God. We are never alone.
Thanks be to God!
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