Life Matters - October 26, 2022
Jesus said unto her (Martha; as well as to all of us) “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25-26)
Christianity is a celebration of life. And more than a celebration. With Christ in the center, it is the very essence of life, for He is Life. As He, who cannot lie, tells us in John 14:6, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” We have no other hope, no other plea. But this hope is steadfast, this hope is sure. Because our plea is heard, our plea is answered. “He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” (Psalm 107:9) And not just for this life. There is an expectation of eternal fulfillment and bliss for the believer. When our finite life here is over, we can expect our spirits—our very souls—to be in the presence of God awaiting the resurrection of our bodies. A resurrection where we will again have a body to live in. “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Cor. 5:1) In the meantime, “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord” (V. 6) And in that absence there is groaning; “For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened, not that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.” (V. 4) But while we anticipate, while we await the second coming of our Lord, he does not leave us alone. He gives us of His Spirit as in Romans chapter 8. He sends the comforter—His presence—to calm our fears, to overcome the pressing in of darkness, the pressing in of death, of hopelessness.
It is the time of year again when Halloween, that misnomer of all holidays is drawing near. For Halloween, with its skeletons, ghosts, ghouls, witches and goblins is not, nor has it been traditionally, even with “All Saints Day” mixed in, a hallowed evening. It has, instead, been an evening to dress up (or is “down” the word?) as a ghost, a witch, a goblin, a wizard, in costumes representing the outer realm of darkness, mixed in with other costumes less morbid.
Many of its costumes and decorations, to a casual, uninvolved, observer like myself, have the appearance of celebrating death. Its obscured history is evil and much of its present practices questionable at best.
I acknowledge that parts of Halloween are also represented as a celebration of harvest. Pumpkins, (though jack-O-lanterns have their share of questionable history) squash, Indian corn, corn shocks, straw bales, etc. are refreshing expressions of thankfulness, a celebration for a bountiful harvest. A harvest sustaining life. Then why do we (“we” as in “Americans”) mix the celebration of a life-sustaining harvest with such dark depictions of evil and lost souls? Why do we mix the celebration of life-sustaining harvest with such morbid hopelessness? And call it a “hallowed evening”?!
There is a better way. “Let us cast off works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light.” (Rom. 13:12) Light penetrates darkness. Light dissipates darkness. When light floods a room there is no darkness there. Darkness is merely the absence of light. The absence of energy. Where there is no energy there is no light. That is, I acknowledge, merely a keen sense of the obvious but when applying that truth in the spiritual realm our keen sense meets an obstacle called seeing “through a glass darkly.” God has his own reason, or reasons, for these two dimensions of reality and in restricting our physical sight to this material realm for now. For now, as the writer continues, “but then face to face, now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known.” (1 Cor. 13:12) “Then” is coming, the only question is when.
In the meantime, let us live in the energy that is eternally Good, the only energy that produces light and life in the spirit realm. There are Christians having hallowed evenings, with a special one on Oct. 31, where God is worshiped and thanked for spiritual life, light and the love of Jesus Christ our Savior. Thus, being moved, to thank God for all His blessings every day and especially on our nationally recognized Thanksgiving Day in November. God bless you all.
Life Matters!