Matthew 5:1-12 (Sermon on the Mount)

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.

The supermarkets are grateful. The pumpkin farmers are grateful. But if I could speak up on behalf of the pumpkins – ‘What a waste’. (Apologies to those clever people who turn the pumpkin flesh into jams, soups and stews.) What do you think? Is Halloween a trick or a treat? 

This late October festival has a long history. In pre-Christian days it was a time to slaughter excess animal stock, have a feast and salt away the rest. It was a time for ‘bone fires’ and to cheer people up before the long and dangerous winter months. The festival was also a time to recount ancestral stories through which people remembered past wisdom. Everything was geared towards fortifying ourselves against imminent perils. 

The Church adopted the pagan festival of Samhain (pronounced sow’in) and Christianised it as a time to celebrate the lives of saints. The purpose, however, remained the same – to allow the wisdom of past generations to help us face the future. 

Today we dress our children up as ghosts and ghouls and recount stories of zombies. So far, I have no problem with this. These crazy antics still serve the purpose of making us confront our fears. What disappoints me, however, is that we don’t take the experience further. As well as confronting fears we need to teach children how to allay their fears. In this work it is also important to distinguish between what is a real fear and what is illusory. Halloween provides us with an opportunity to do this important work with our children in the same way that our ancestors did all those years ago. 

Finally, what about our fears? Maturity enables us to grow out of some fears, but then new ones arrive. Jesus invites us to consider the following fearful situations: What if there were no ultimate justice? What if there were no comfort for our sorrows? What if bullying proved lucrative? What if there were nothing good worth living for? What if being kind and honest were a waste of time? What if war became a desirable activity? Think of the dark chaos the world would degenerate into if these things were true? Jesus addresses these fears in the Sermon of the Mount. The event wasn’t just a picnic peppered with pleasant one-liners. Instead, Jesus gives a string of promises to counteract people’s deepest fears. If his promises were wishful thinking, then the prospects for us all would be very bleak. But if his promises were trustworthy, then the light of hope would dispel the darkness of our fears. What do we make of this dilemma? The stakes are high! In John 14 Jesus invited his disciples to trust him. Jesus’ tantalizing appeal led to a vote of eleven out of twelve in his favour. Ten out of the eleven gave their life for him. Now that is confidence.