Friends,

Not just in this moment, but in the zeitgeist of our current culture, Fall is winning the seasons war.

Each season has its own benefits. I feel that I am in the minority that favors summer. I do not mind very hot weather, and I love the spending all my time outdoors. I am in the extreme minority in that I am occasionally skeptical of air conditioning. Winter speaks to those who love winter sports and enthusiasts for all things cozy. Spring is great for those who thrive off gardening and seeing the world come back to life. Of all these worthy seasons, Fall is king.

I am so thankful that we have had such great support for our pumpkin patch, because we have had so much demand. The patch hasn’t even been open two weeks, and the vast majority of the pumpkins are gone! Daily, I see families coming and enjoying the fertile ground we’ve prepared to grow community. There is something about the decorative gourds that draw people in. Culturally, we are conditioned to need pumpkins for Halloween decorations, but I like to think the hope of connection is the underlying force that brings people to our patch.

Of course, I think Fall is winning, because I am bias as we are the pumpkin Church, but fall events are everywhere. As I write this article, we are preparing for Waynewood Elementary School’s Fall Fun Night, Monday is the costume parade, and neighborhoods are getting ready for truly magical Halloween experiences. I wonder if Halloween and other fall traditions have always been so huge in this neighborhood, or if there has been a cultural shift. Either way, it is hard to ignore the festive spirit happening all around us.

I am tempted to tell you about the religious underpinnings behind this cultural phenomenon. Halloween falls on the eve of All Saints Day and part of our observance for this day is reading the necrology, a list of our loved ones who have died this past year. This is a day that clearly and unambiguously reminds us of our mortality.

Halloween seems to have turned into a rebellion against this truth. Decorations around this season are ghosts, skeletons and other reminders of our mortality, but made to appear joyful and even funny. We are looking mortality in the face and mocking it, taking aways is fearful power over us. A creative and/or irresponsible preacher could use this as an illustration on how our faith in the resurrection empowers us to mock death at Halloween, after all through Christ, death no longer has dominion over us. While I believe that death has been defeated through Christ, it comes with heaps of nuance. We believe in the resurrection, and to be resurrected, one must first die.

While the symbolism around death and the religious origins of Halloween and All Saints Day are neat, I do not think it is religious observance that is the driving force behind all the trunk or treat events, pumpkin patches and epic Halloween decorations. I do believe it is a rebellion, but against isolation. As a society we are getting increasingly withdrawn, individualistic, and less social. Other holidays are fine, but they do not innately bring strangers and neighbors together. Answering the door and being hospitable to children in costumes is a fundamental part of this holiday, and the majority of surrounding neighbors are here for it.

I am so thankful that our Christian Education Ministers, Ara Stephens and Laura Moss, organized our first trunk or treat this past Sunday. We had hundreds of people here from our community and plenty of people I did not recognize. One family showed up with a very impressively decorated car to add to the offering, and they literally just saw the sign on Fort Hunt Rd and showed up.

If I am correct, my hope is that we are tapping into this need. This rebellion against isolation and a crumbling society can come in the form of pumpkin spice lattes and charitable neighbors eager to give candy to any child that shows up. We can tap into this desire for connection not just in the weeks leading up to Halloween and All Saints Day, but every day we try to be the Church.

The subject matter around Halloween has always been severe, and tapping into community and joy just isn’t a gimmick, it’s how we survive.

Blessings,

Nick