10-31-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
October 31, 2024
Yes, it is Halloween, but more importantly, it is All Hallow’s Eve. Ok, I think we all know that the kids are much more excited about Halloween, but All Hallow’s Eve is the day before All Saints’ Day, November 1. We always celebrate it the following Sunday, so this year, we will be celebrating All Saints’ Day this Sunday, November 3. We will do so with a time of remembrance in each worship service, including the naming of those church members and friends who have died in the last year. It is always a meaningful moment in the life of the church. 

But as for Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, this is an equally ancient practice, more so in some cultures than others. All Hallows Eve sometimes included time spent in the graveyard; some people even sleep on the graves of family members. There would be plenty of people who would find this practice strange at best. But in the life of the church, at least until recently, there has been a desire to create a sense of normalcy around death. That’s not to say it should be treated casually, but too many people are so bothered by death that they will not attend the funeral of a friend or family member. There was a time when the body of a recently deceased person would be washed and dressed in a home by family and friends, and the body would lie in state there in the home as well—not in the funeral home or at the church. I don’t know if I am ready to return to this practice, but it allowed for death to be seen and discussed, reducing the mystery and anxiety associated with it. Since home preparation is probably not returning, what are things we can do to create a safe space around death where questions can be asked, where the shroud of secrecy is lifted, and people are able to more comfortably do the good and necessary work of grieving?

Between visits from ghosts, goblins, and superheroes, provide us with opportunities to seriously talk about death, O Lord, for it is in conversations about death that we are often able to open ourselves to a greater understanding of life. Amen.