Friday, October 31, 2003
Happy Halloween!
This festival is a great one to celebrate, as James Jordan points out. I would like to give a few brief thoughts on the subject.
The Christian and the Calendar
Much is made of the 'pagan origins' of the festival by many fundamentalists. However, even were Halloween does find its origin in pagan celebrations, this does not preclude Christians giving the day a Christian meaning. Many fundamentalists treat the calendar as if it belonged to the world, or at least that certain days within it do, and Christians should take care to avoid them. This is a sinful perspective, in my opinion. Jesus the Messiah is Lord of the calendar.
Man as a creature of nature, cannot abstract himself from the patterns of nature (though in many ways the modern city can be seen as an attempt). To do so is to seek autonomy. The year with its seasons is one of the most profound cycles in humanity's life (as Nevin and others recognized). Man has always sought to make time the mirror of eternity. Paganism confuses the natural with the Divine and the forces of nature are seen as the focus of their year. Paganism never suceeds in surpassing the sphere of mere nature and bringing it under a higher power. 'Redemption' is at best a product of the struggle between natural forces. The Christian celebrates the year in a very different way, however.
Christianity expresses its view of redemption within the year. As it does this it radically challenges the pagan view. Old celebrations are taken up and given radically new meanings—Christian meanings. We express the rhythms of redemption in the liturgical year. We see this in the pattern of the week and in the seasons. These natural patterns affect us more than most of us like to admit. The Christian, I believe, has a spiritual impulse to recognize the organic union of nature and grace by developing Christian ways of celebrating these patterns.
The church year is not arbitrary but is based on the fact of creation and the resurrection. Nature itself is taken up into the sphere of Christ's redemption. We are not gnostics. Creation itself groans with us for redemption; I believe that the church calendar celebrates this fact. We groan with creation. If we seek to avoid any idea of special days and rhythms in time we will lack spiritual discipline. Spiritual discipline demands godly rhythms (though I must admit I feel a bit guilty writing this line—I should be in bed by now!). Man is a creature in time and redeeming this time is one of his primary tasks. A question we might ask ourselves: 'what does redeemed time look like?'
Halloween / All Saints' Day
Halloween / All Saints' Day is the time when we celebrate the victory of the saints in union with Christ. It originally developed as 'All Martyr's Day' and later broadened to include all saints. Its date varies, it is celebrated on Whitsunday by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Some interesting notes on the history of Halloween can be found here.
This is the day when we celebrate the truth of Hebrews 11:1—12:2. We celebrate the truth of victorious faith in the face of death. When those of the world see Autumn dying into Winter, we look beyond the grave to victory in Christ by faith. In a world where death seems to be the end, we celebrate those who have died.
With them we believe in the providence of God. With them we believe in a God who is sovereign over history. With them we believe in a God who brings redemption to nature. Yes, that's right, we should learn to think of the saints in the present tense.
Klaas Schilder has some insightful comments to make on this issue:—
Indeed, a church-in-heaven that sins in a similar way was even invented: the so-called triumphant church above, as opposed to the militant one here below. The triumph of the (only initially) blessed ones was then distinguished from the "struggle" in which the same persons, now blessed, had been engaged on earth. On the basis of this strictly "personal" experience, a scheme of "church"-classification was then given. But precisely because the church is still church in the making (divided over two places, "above" and "below") it can never say that in its work of gathering it already has arrived at the stage of communal triumph. Triumphing (in the present-"perfect" tense) is done only by one who is finished. Christ as Gatherer of the church is as yet not finished by far. Hence also the church in its church-affairs is not yet ready or completed by far. Christ is indeed triumphing daily in the present-"progressive" tense; but this also applies (through Him) to the so-called militant church (more than conquerors; faith conquers the world). Christ is triumphing in the present-progressive tense. (His struggle is a "prospering" struggle). But the same thing applies also to the so-called triumphant church. It struggles daily in its prayers (by far the keenest weapon, according to Revelation 6 and 11). So it, too, seeks to have the church reach completion. A "triumphant church" that would abstract (separate) its triumph from the one concrete church struggle (divided over both divisions, above and below) would be sectarian, just like the "society for mutual upbuilding," the schismatic church, and the conventicle...We need to see ourselves in united struggle with the 'church above'. We are one people and on All Saints' Day we celebrate a victory that is one day going to be complete. This is the day on which we celebrate the truth of the communion of saints. Halloween is the night on which we celebrate the fact that the forces of evil have had their day. The new day is ours. Many of the customs that now exist for Halloween were developed in such a manner. On Halloween a drama was acted out. People dressed up as martyrs, with spears thrust through them, beheaded, sawn in two, etc. (I can imagine kids would love this!). These were the victorious heroes, while others would play the persecuting rulers and sinners, Satan and his demons. Many superstitious practices were incorporated into All Saints' Day in the church (prayers to the saints, practices based on belief in Purgatory, etc.) but I still believe that the celebration is worth reclaiming. If we celebrated Halloween in a Christian way it would serve as a bold evangelistic move. We could invite our friends and neighbours to a feast in which we celebrated the victory of Christ over the forces of evil. Advantages of Celebrating Halloween / All Saints' Day I would like to list just a few reasons why celebrating Halloween might be worthwhile.
- It would draw our attention to the fact that we stand in solidarity with millions of saints who have gone before. We are forced to take the history of the church seriously. The church has a continuous history going back to the Reformation and (yes!) even before that to the medieval period and back to the days of the apostles. It might help us to get to know the history of these saints better. I cannot think of more inspiring role models!
- It would help us to recognize that we are engaged in a united struggle with the saints above that will one day be completed (but is not yet over for us nor for the saints above). It would serve to get rid of the awfully individualistic eschatology that looks little further than the individual's 'going to heaven when he dies'.
- It would serve as a great evangelistic opportunity.
- It would be a help in reclaiming the calendar for Christ.
- It would challenge the gnosticism that exists in many areas of the evangelical church.
- If it could get Christians to feast and have a good time it would be no bad thing!
- By drawing our attention to the theme of the saints' victory with Christ we will challenge the defeatism that exists in many areas of the church. If we start acting out victories we might start living as victors. More particularly, we will be taught not to fear what the world can do to us when we trust in God.
