All Saints vs Halloween Scot Bower - 26 Oct 2011

Whatever your feelings towards Halloween I don't think many of us would contest that the 31st October - with it's apple bobbing, scary costumes and trick or treating has eclipsed the 1st November as a festival. But it wasn't always the case, and perhaps shouldn't be so for many of us today.

The 1st November is a special day for millions of Christians worldwide, it's All Saints day; the day in the church calendar when we reflect on those that have gone before us and set us an example to follow. That may mean a close relative or friend who's passed away or a figure from church history, it could be a figure from thousands of years ago or a man or woman who died much more recently.

Who you choose to remember and thank God for is up to you; we all have our own heroes, our own saints.

The good folks at Damaris, who make it their business to think creatively about all things film and education, have put together a series of short films in the run up to Halloween/All Saints where several Christians reflect on a hero.

All the films including  interview with Pete Greig who introduces us to his hero, a man with an exceedingly impressive name: Count Nikolas Ludwig Von Zinzendorf can be viewed on the All Saints page of Damaris.org. Pete's video with a short study guide can also be downloaded.

The video below is an introduction to the series.

Whoever your saint is let's remember together the image St Paul impresses on us from Hebrews 12:

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit!