All Saints Day Party

Junior Group

All Saints Day Party

October 28, 2018, 3-5

We have been diligently been planning costumes for Halloween in our house. I am sure you are too. What often gets missed in our trick-or-treating or fall parties is that Halloween is not the actual holiday coming up. “Halloween” comes from “Hallow’s Eve.” You may recognize the word hallow from the Lord’s Prayer when we say “hallowed be thy name.” It’s a word that means holy, or sacred. Holiday, likewise is “holy day” shortened. Hallow’s Eve is the night before the holy day…the night before All Saints Day. During the middle ages, it was believed that All Saints Day was the one day in the year when heaven and earth were the closest…when all heaven breaks loose. (The night before became known as the night all hell breaks loose, which you still see in the scary parts of Halloween.) You can see the Mexican Day of the Dead which arose from All Saints Day depicted in the recent movie Coco. All Saints Day is a time for us to remember that those who have died are alive in Christ. The saints are still connected to us through Christ. We will be celebrating this holy day in Worship on November 4^th.

            In Junior Group on October 28^th, we are going to have our own All Saints Day Celebration to remember those who have died in our lives. I think this is really important to do as a church. Our culture does not deal well with grief, especially where children are involved, so it is important for us to do this well in the church. In the church, we have a day every year to celebrate the life to come, to remember those we have loved, and to pass down our memories.

          For our celebration, I am going to need some help preparing the kids. I would like them to come with one or two people in mind, such as grandparents, family friends, etc. They are invited to bring a favorite food of that person for us to share as a snack. For example, my grandpa bought us a giant box of oranges every year growing up, so I might bring oranges to share. If you bring something sweet, please bring a small size. Then we are going to put together luminaries of those who have died to decorate the sanctuary with. These luminaries will be in worship on Nov 4^th, and then your child can take them home.

           I am excited to give our kids this opportunity to remember those who have died and to honor them. As always, parents are welcome to stick around.