For several years Deb and I have been learning to celebrate Halloween in a specifically biblical and Christian way, and to help our grandchildren, Colin and Rose, do the same.¹ We haven’t wanted to cast a sour note over all the outdoor fun of dressing up in costumes and going trick-or-treating. But neither have we wanted to let the great church tradition of All Hallows Eve get lost among the loose collection of ideas (both ancient and modern) that haunt every advertisement on TV with ghouls, ghosts and spooks, and that sometimes get mixed up in a more serious way with notions of witchcraft, sorcery, and even fascination with the dead (necromancy). All of the latter really belongs to a different, non-biblical worldview.

So, without writing a doctoral thesis, how can one go about this task? How about starting with the word “Halloween” itself? This word, as anyone can find with a little online research, is a shortening (circa 16th century) of the Old English and Scottish dialect for the phrase “All Hallows Evening.” That is, the evening of October 31 prior to the day on November 1 when the church celebrates all of the “Hallows.” And what then or who are the “hallows”? They are the “holy ones,” that is, all of the saints, both living and dead. They are not holy in the sense of being perfect people, as though they have “already arrived” (Philippians 3:12-14). Rather, they are being made holy (hallowed) because they have put their faith in Christ and given their lives into his guidance and care. But why then should we celebrate all of these living and dead saints together? No better answer can perhaps be given than that provided by the verses of the great 19th century hymn, “For All the Saints.”

1. For all the saints, who from their labors rest, who thee by faith before the world confessed, thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Alleluia.
2. Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might; thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight; thou, in the darkness drear, their one true light. Alleluia.
3. O may thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold, fight as the saints who nobly fought of old, and win with them the victor’s crown of gold. Alleluia.
4. O blest communion, fellowship divine! We feebly struggle, they in glory shine; yet all are one in thee, for all are thine. Alleuia.
5. And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long, steals on the ear the distant triumph song, and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong. Alleluia.
6. From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast, through gates of pearl streams in the countless host, singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: Alleluia.

All Hallows Eve, then, is about the communion of the saints above with the saints below. Or, to put it another way, it is about the fellowship of the church triumphant (already at rest and waiting for the great day of the Lord, the day of resurrection and judgement, Rev. 6:9-11) and the church militant (still engaged in spiritual warfare on the earth until the Lord has put all of the rebellious forces and powers back in order under his authority, 1 Cor. 15:20-28). As in the Epistle to the Hebrews (chapter 11), we who are still alive take courage and example from those who have gone before and who show us how to be faithful. And in contrast to the ancient (and some modern) pagan festivals, such as Samhain, this is not a matter of trying to interact with the dead, or to call them up so that we might communicate with them or make use of them in some way. Rather, it is a celebration of the great purpose of our Creator to which we, like they, have been called to participate: the restoration of the world and of our own lives as subjects, stewards, worshippers, and partners with and under God.²

With this biblical worldview as our framework, then, Deb and I have created over the last few years an album of photos and stories for our grandchildren, an album for All Hallows Eve that informs the children about their own immediate ancestors who have gone before them, and upon whose shoulders they stand as they also take up the calling to join the spiritual battle, and to become whole and fully human beings in the care and under the power and guidance of the risen Lord. This effort seems all the more important when set against the recent and ongoing attacks of “woke” and “progressive” activists, where the religious and moral traditions of our ancestors have been ridiculed and defiled without serious understanding, honor, loyalty, or respect.

What follows below, then, is a simple story with a few pictures of one of our Gallaway “hallows” that Deb and I have added to the album for this year, 2024. We hope you will enjoy and appreciate this unusual story about Craig’s older brother, Jerry; but also, we encourage you to recall stories of grace and faith from among your own ancestors and forebears, and to remember them together for the benefit of your family and others.

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Gerald Kent (Jerry) Gallaway, 1943 – 2014

Your Great Uncle on Your Father’s Side

From an early age, Jerry was a remarkable fellow. He excelled in many things such as art, sports, and academics, and yet he was kind and likeable. In high school he was captain of the football team and president of his senior class. In college he played football and became a folk singer in 60s folk music scene. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Jerry, however, is how far his path led him in different directions.

He left college, football, and “normal” society in the 1960s and joined the youth “hippie” revolution in San Francisco. When that movement fell apart, he fled the city and went into the wilderness of New Mexico. He eventually became a Christian, had a family, and lived like a 19^th century settler on the frontier. His life was hard in many ways, and he did not reach all his goals; but what finally held his life together was his faith in God. He wanted above all to become God’s witness.

Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father who is in heaven.”

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Endnotes

1. The body of this essay was first posted for All Hallows Eve in 2023. I am re-posting it now in 2024, with a new page for this year remembering my older brother Jerry. Jerry left this present life in 2014, and began his own time of waiting with the Lord and with the Saints in paradise for the Day of Resurrection and Judgement, for the wedding feast of the Lamb and the great crescendo of the New Creation when God comes down to dwell with his people. I look forward to seeing him again in the full renewal of our lives promised in Christ.

2. It is important to notice in this regard that the New Testament is far more interested in the ongoing effort of the people of God in this life, and in their ultimate destiny in the New Creation (see Romans 8:18-39; 1 Cor. 15:35-58; and Rev. 21-22) than in any detailed description of the current intermediate state of those who have died or “fallen asleep” in Christ. Excellent reading on these matters can be found in the works of N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope, and The Resurrection of the Son of God.