All Hallows’ Eve = Halloween
All Hallows’ Eve sounds like something out of a Harry Potter book, but really, Harry Potter comes from this ancient Christian tradition. On November 1 each year, Christians remember the saints who have lived in faith before us. The saints were “hallowed” or blessed and remembered and prayed to. October 31 then became the eve or the night before this holy, blessed remembrance and honor. Over time, it got shortened to Halloween.
Because we were remembering people who died, other traditions crept in about ghosts and lost souls, eventually becoming the commercial craziness of today’s candy and yard decorations and horror movies this time of year.
But are they watching us? According to Hebrews 12, yes, we are being watched by the saints who have gone on to their heavenly reward:
So then, with endurance, let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter. He endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God’s throne. Hebrews 12:1-2
The cloud of witnesses are our loved ones who have joined Jesus, but also Moses and Miriam, Abraham and Sarah, Mary and Peter and Paul. We are living in a relay race of faith, and each saint passed their faith on to the next believer. We are here because someone shared their faith with us, and we got to know Jesus. Now it’s our turn to share our faith with the next generation of believers.
The writer of Hebrews goes on to remind us to keep getting together for worship, not just to honor and praise God, but to encourage and support each other:
Don’t stop meeting together with other believers, which some people have gotten into the habit of doing. Instead, encourage each other, especially as you see the day drawing near. Hebrews 10:25
We gather weekly in worship to keep growing in faith, sharing our faith, and contributing the resources of time and money God gave us in order to build up God’s Kingdom of grace and mercy, justice and peace. The day of Jesus’ return is drawing near, and Jesus calls us to be ready. Once again, we are called to become spiritually mature, and ready to do Jesus’ work in the world today:
So let’s press on to maturity, by moving on from the basics about Christ’s word. Hebrews 6:1
We are being watched, and cheered on! Our race is in a stadium of saints that are watching us and shouting encouragement as we grow from a baby faith into a mature spiritual life where we get to encourage the next generation. We aren’t alone – the saints are watching us with the joy of Jesus.
This Sunday, October 29, we invite the people worshiping with us to light candles to remember the saints of your life of faith.
Grow in faith! The people at the Nachos with Nehemiah retreat last week gathered to learn more about God through Nehemiah, and worship God around an evening campfire. Next retreat will be Chili with Corinthians January 19-20, 2024.