Halloween

It is interesting that today we really seem to make something of All Hallow's E'en. There were times when people would stay indoors on this day to avoid accidental contact with Old Nick who was said to roam on this day. I come from a county that has a record of celebrating Halloween in a special way. Not only do I come from Lancashire but I was brought up only a few miles from the haunts of the famous Pendle Witches. Pendleside, even today, is a beautiful place with old farms set among rolling hills and lush green fields of differing shades.

Tomorrow some churches will be celebrating All Saints Day when the coin turns over and evil is in the past and good is celebrated. These days there seems to be a belief that there is no such thing as good and evil. People no longer feel threatened as they once did. It may be that this is where they have gone wrong and that they ought to reconsider where they stand. When you see a world around you in which there are people pushing drugs to weak people who have developed an addition you again see the reality of good and eveil at work in the world.

When the gangs of yesteryear in the USA could no longer profit from supplying illegal alcohol they turned to what our cousins call narcotics. They had absolutely no conscience and today we see the results of ther work. I cannot imagine what parents of young people who have become addicted to drugs go through as they see their loved ones sink into a morrass of unhappiness. I used to work with a woman whose son had sunk to this level. He had to live elsewhere because his mum could not cope with him being in the same house. One day he was offering a very small supply of drugs to another teenager when the police arrested him for supplying. Now he had to face a prison sentence for what seemed a small crime.

Thankfully neither of my children has sunk to that level. But for a parent to see his/her child sink like this must be dreadful. The police are constantly vigilant and working to eradicate drugs. They have, by now, accepted that this will never happen. So what can be done to help our young people, so many of whom are very vulnerable to those who prey on such as them? I am no expert but I know that even they can never fall so far that they can never be lifted back up through the love of God.

Back in the Gospel days we read of Jesus being criticised for sitting with sinners. He consorted with publicans, taxgatherers and prostitutes and this was reported back to the authorities in Jerusalem. Yet he was showing that even those considered down and out by society were not thought of like this by God. He had love for all men and women. This is what Jesus came to say. So today, if Jesus had come, he would have been seen talking to drug users and even drug pushers because his message was and is that no one can fall beyond the reach of the hand of God.

Jesus came and sat with many who society looked down on. He came to give the good news to the poor and the dispossessed. He was the champion of the woman of Samaria, the Roman Centurion, the tax collector, the woman caught in adultery and others. The rich and famous could speak up for themselves but some people needed a champion and this was Jesus. he is our champion today. A young Jewish girl who was hiding from the Nazis during the war was given a bible by her friendly supporters. There was nothing to do all day but to read the book she had been given. Eventually she came to see Jesus as her hero, her champion and when she came out of hiding she became a Christian.

Jesus is the champion of the lowest of the low. Mother Theresa of Calcutta saw the need among the poor and responded to it just as Jesus would have done. One day she will become a saint. Martin Luther King saw the downtrodden status of his fellow black Americans and determined to make a difference for them. He led them to a better life and lost his own in the struggle. Jesus did just this himself. He spent much of his life with thieves and rogues and then was crucified between two of them.

Here is the evidence that there is still a constant struggle between good and evil today. But if you care to look at the Book of Revelation you will see that ultimately good will triumph over evil and the rewards will be shared by all who love Jesus. Just read the description of the holy City at the end of the book and you will see a depiction of what you can expect. Don't read it literally but accept it as truth in its portrayal of the celestial city to which we all travel. There will be no sun and moon because the light of God wilshine forever. There are open gates at all times because there are no dangers to protect the inhabitants from. There will be no temple or church because we shall see God face to face and need no altar at which to kneel.

The description is of a crystal river flowing down from the throne of God through the centre of the city. On either side are described trees of life and their leaves are for the healing of the people. In such a place there can be no need to fear and no sadness of any kind.

Coming with me?