by Fr. Bill Garrison

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

—Matthew 5:1-12 (NRSV)

There are certain special days we celebrate every year and All Saints Day is one of them. I think of Christmas and Easter as the most well-known of these days but All Saints is especially important too. In fact, here at St. Matthias we even have a special service at Five PM on this date, The Feast of Lights. If you aren’t familiar it is an Evensong service during which we remember those that have gone before and speak their name aloud.

Now please remember that last night was Halloween. All Hallows Eve is the name this night started with. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. Later the church in the 8th century began the celebration of All Saints Day to finish the story if you will.

Ok. I can’t help myself. Here is my favorite Halloween joke.

There was a man walking home late one night. As usual he took a shortcut through the graveyard. Since it was especially foggy, he didn't see a freshly dug grave and fell headlong into the pit. He tried for over 20 minutes to climb out but couldn't manage to escape. As he sat there pondering his options he was startled when someone else, apparently also using the same shortcut, fell in the grave. He sat unnoticed in the corner and watched the man try to climb out. Hoping to save the man some trouble he said, "You're not going to be able to get out." But he was wrong about that. He almost flew out of there!

The gospel today is a famous one. It’s the Beatitudes. I am not sure why the powers that be chose it for All Saints Day but there you go. It’s still a fun scripture to chat about. And you know what? As I write this, I realize it’s a perfect lesson for this day, two days before a volatile election in a very difficult time.

So, let’s talk about that. Let’s set a contemporary stage. We are in the middle of a surging pandemic. The economy is a mess. We are having a contentious election. The country seems to be split right down the middle. People of color are demanding to be seen and heard. Social media and the news channels are on fire shouting about everything that is going on. It seems like we can’t find quiet and solace anywhere. I am sure all of us are aware of the societal hurricane in which we are all enduring.

And along comes Jesus with a commentary about everything that is happening. Now before we look at what he has to say let’s clear up one very important translation once again. It concerns the Greek word ευλογημένος. Somehow that Greek word got translated as “blessed”. That might have made sense centuries ago but it makes none today. A better translation is “enormously happy”. So please listen as I read the Beatitudes with this correction.

"Enormously happy are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Enormously happy are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

"Enormously happy are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

"Enormously happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

"Enormously happy are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

"Enormously happy are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

"Enormously happy are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

"Enormously happy are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Enormously happy are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Now I think it’s important to remind ourselves who is talking. This is Jesus Christ who had, and even more importantly continues to have, a special relationship with the God we worship. He was there at the beginning of creation. He rose from the dead and made eternal life possible for each of us. He has a perfect understanding of God’s nature and how God conducts business. When he says something, we can take it to the bank without reservation.

Within this speech to the people when he gave it, the speech we have since named the Beatitudes, he has made some incredible promises. I will pick out a few. You can be happy even though you are down and depressed because the Kingdom of Heaven will be yours. If you are mourning please know God cares and God will comfort you. Maybe your self-esteem is not what you would like but know that all of creation will be given to you one day. If you are seeking righteousness be happy and know you will find it in God. If you are merciful and a peacemaker God will show you mercy and God will acknowledge you as one of God’s children. Even if people make fun of you because of your faith and way of life be happy because your reward in eternity will be fantastic.

Photo by Spencer Selover from Pexels — Photo by **Spencer Selover** from **Pexels**

And so, we realize the speech was perfect for the first century. The people in the Holy Land needed desperately to hear it. Now what might it sound like if Jesus gave the same speech today, November the First, 2020? Let’s take a listen.

Enormously happy are those in this surging pandemic for God shall provide the needed answers for its resolution and greet those that are lost with God’s love.

Enormously happy are you who suffer economically because your relationship with God is much more valuable and is yours forever.

Enormously happy are you that worry about the election for you shall render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and what you render unto God will return to you again and again and again.

Enormously happy are you that fear those with a different viewpoint as in time only God’s viewpoint will matter.

Enormously happy are you that feel downtrodden and ignored as God knows you and loves you and your day of reckoning is coming.

Enormously happy are you that are surrounded by frightening news for God promises that peace and security will be yours.

Enormously happy are you when others say you are wasting your time serving a God that no longer matters. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

God loves us. God cares for us. We have God’s promises. I quote the Apostle Paul: “What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?”

Our sacred faith and the creepy holidays are a natural fit

By Ben Corbitt

To look at Halloween today, with its carved pumpkins and grinning witches, it can be easy to lose sight of the spiritual and religious notions which have always been tied up with the observance. This is a shame, because it would be hard to find a more suitably religious holiday.

All forms of spirituality and religion are concerned with one question – how to properly orient oneself in relation to the inescapable reality of death. Their suggested solutions might differ, but the problem is universally recognized.

The evolution of Halloween, from ancient Celtic harvest festivals to adoption by the early Church as All Hallows’ Eve to the secular event of our time, is well known. In addition, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) has emerged as a well-known blending of Mexican indigenous traditions and the Christian All Saints’ Day, celebrated the day after Halloween. Whether secular, holy, or somewhere in between, these traditions share one thing – a focus on those who have preceded us into the grave.

These festivals can also take unique forms within the Episcopal Church. All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena has lent its altar as a traditional ofrenda or “offering” for honoring departed family members on Day of the Dead/All Saints’ Day. For mainline churches housing a suitably spooky old pipe organ, musical events (often promoted as Pipe Screams) allow their organists to showcase the organ’s mood-setting abilities around this time of year.

The Episcopal Book of Occasional Services contains a liturgy for All Hallows’ Eve, along with suggested readings. Among these are quite frankly some of the creepiest passages in the Bible, like Saul’s visit to the Witch of Endor in I Samuel, Ezekiel’s vision of the Valley of Dry Bones, and the War in Heaven as told in Revelation. Witches summoning ghosts, living skeletons, and dragons fighting angels: Whoever designed this Halloween liturgy clearly had a sense of humor. Of course, underlying all these tales of strange powers and spooky happenings is a consistent message about deferring to the power of God in the face of all manner of weirdness.

I grew up in a conservative religious tradition, where the celebration of Halloween was seen as taboo. I now see this as a missed opportunity. Any faith tradition that shuns the grotesque imagery of death misses the point entirely. Whether we like them or not, those grinning skulls in the Halloween shop or on the ofrendas of Hispanic homes aren’t going anywhere. Their silent toothy grins tell a truth which must be accepted. We all must experience death, not just our own but the deaths we grieve while alive. Any faith worth its salt has to look this reality in the face, unpleasant as it may be, and help us prepare for it.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels — Photo by **Andrea Piacquadio** from **Pexels**

And sometimes, if we’re in a particular state of mind, we might even find the wherewithal to look death square in the face, knowing full well that it waits for each of us, and laugh – maybe even throw on a skeleton costume and have a party to really drive home the point. Happy Halloween.