Pastor Scott's Message

This week is All Saints Day and Halloween. On the surface they seem to have nothing in common. But they both are a reaction to Death. It is the scariest reality we face. Death comes for us all. Halloween is an opportunity to play with the things that frighten us. Ghosts, skeletons, and monsters are grim images that represent the mystery beyond life. Dressing up as a mummy or a witch helps a kid or a grownup to cope with Death. I’ve never had a problem with Halloween because I see it in this light.

Whereas Halloween is a coping mechanism for those afraid of the darkness of death, All Saints Day is a coping mechanism for those with hope beyond death. If you live long enough you experience losing someone you love. Life suddenly does not feel like fun and games at a funeral. We need assurance that Jesus has defeated sin, DEATH, and the devil. This Sunday in worship you will have the opportunity to come forward and say the name of someone you grieve. It could be someone who died this year or before you were born. We will hear their name and cling to Christ’s promise of everlasting life.

We remember those Glendale Lutheran members who have passed on since the last All Saints Day: Howard Finley, Thelma Miller, Ruth Moll, Craig Oberle, Howard Oberle and Eunice Zimmermann. Death does not have the final answer, Christ does. The saints take off this mortal coil and put on the new resurrected self. We can face our own death with confidence. We can even laugh and taunt death through Halloween. Where, O Death, is your sting? Jesus has a trick for you, Death; it’s called resurrection. It’s a trick for you and a treat for us.