Communion Meditation: Halloween

by carrie shea

Good morning, this is my first time doing a communion meditation. 

The scripture today is a well known one: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”. 

I thought about that and how it might relate to Halloween. “It doesn’t really relate”...this was my first thought. Then, I thought more about Halloween. Some Christians believe Halloween goes against our Christian values because it promotes letting the dark into our lives. Jesus is the light of the world and Halloween is the darkness. Some churches run alternative light festivals for children and families. My kids have celebrated Halloween. they went trick or treating when they were younger. My daughter, Sam, went to a haunted Halloween maze in Springfield last night. 

This made me question things some more. In general on Halloween, we watch movies and see images of vampires, zombies, ghosts and goblins. We send our children out into the dark to knock on the doors of strangers to ask for candy. Most of these things are supposed to be scary and to be honest, I like getting scared like that. I love a good vampire movie with the rest of them. However, I don’t think these things really scare me that much. There is no real danger of a zombie apocalypse or vampires overrunning the world. After the 2 hours of a movie, we can return to our safe world no worse for wear. 

But in the last year and a half, we have all had many fears come way too close to home. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought to light many divisions in our society and between neighbours; mental health issues are on the rise as well as loneliness and financial hardship. And there is no escaping it after 2 hours. It is invasive, like a mist of fear, and it follows us wherever we go. 

Fear has hit very close to home for me during this pandemic. I had a worst fear realized when my daughter Sam tested positive for Covid-19. I was fearful for her safety, I was worried I might have it and give it to one of the patients with whom I work. Luckily, Sam recovered. I didn’t catch the virus nor did anyone else in our house. But Sam had to spend Christmas Day opening gifts 6 feet apart from the rest of us.  Later, she had to eat dinner in a separate room, which wasn’t much fun for her, as you can imagine.   

Then, a few days after Christmas while we were in isolation, my Dad passed away.  More recently, at Thanksgiving, my father-in-law passed away. For me, these were the times when I was really scared and felt lost in the dark. It wasn’t Halloween fear. Instead, these were real feelings of fear - the kind that make-your-stomach-hurt. 

These moments are when some light was needed. That’s when the scripture from today really mattered. Jesus, as the light of our world, was what I needed. What got me through this is the truth about “loving God with all your heart”.

The second part tells us to love our neighbour. I have definitely felt love from my friends and family through cards, foods, gifts, prayers and calls. A lot of these kind gestures came from our Church family as well. The power of a kind gesture can never be overestimated. It definitely has made a difference. 

So, no I don’t think Halloween is letting in the dark. I actually think in today’s world it is a way for us to have a little safe and scary fun to escape the scarier reality in which we are living. 

This brings us back to the communion table. The disciples were scared too. They were fearful of being arrested and killed for following Jesus, whom they loved very much. That’s why Jesus wanted to give them some hope, which he did by gathering together for a final meal. It’s a gesture of love that we symbolize together every Sunday at this communion table. 

Carrie Shea is an active member of Mapleton Church of Christ (Disciples). She teaches Sunday School and serves as the vice-chair on the Board. She is also the president of the Ontario Assembly of the Christian Church and a volunteer at the Disciples Conference Grounds. Carrie volunteers as a 4-H leader for life skills clubs and works as a registered dietitian at a hospital. She is the mother of three daughters.