Nov 2nd, 2020: Some Thoughts After This Halloween

Introducing a GETTING TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS Starter's Guide – Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh

Well, my theory was wrong about this Halloween. We thought that because the malls didn't have their regular Halloween, kids would go back and knocking on doors. We didn't have a lot of kids in our community, to begin with. However, we were struck out. Not a single kid came by our door that night. We were prepared not because we are into Halloween. We thought that it might be fun to cheer them up with some sweets if they came by. The ghost of Covid-19 has scared a lot of families away from allowing their kids to trick or treat.


Some of my nieces and nephews are among them. They told me that their kids ended up replacing their trick or treat outing with a treasure hunt. This whole experience makes me think about this coming Christmas. It will be a different time for many families. We know now that we won't have all of our kids back for the holidays. Maybe it is time for us to think about Christmas with its original meaning without all of the distractions we used to have.


It is time for us to think beyond the normal expectations for that time. It might be beneficial for us to consider many others who might need some extra care and encouragement. It might not be a bad idea to think about the meaning of neighbours again as we remember the command "love our neighbours as ourselves". We might get a chance to rediscover the idea of belonging to the same community as we share the holidays.


It is time for us to consider a different approach toward Christmas celebration as many people have lost their jobs. It is time to be extravagant about reaching out to those who are alone, depressed, and fearful about the future. Let us consider having strangers at our table this Christmas as we ponder on what it means to welcome others as God has welcomed us to His table.


It is time for us to go back and ponder on the first Christmas. It was not all that nice. It is a story of obedience, sacrifices, and faith. It was an account of how God interacted with his people. It was a story about how humility shines and how simplicity becomes the real power of transformation. It is the time when the finite and the infinite interact so that we might understand the foundation of our hope.


Zephaniah 3: 17

"The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

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