Halloween and a Psalm???  

            Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays.  For many years it was the time to pull out the sewing machine and make the costumes our son and daughter would wear that evening.  That simple act was actually an important part of our family story.  The fun of Halloween for our family was the preparation – deciding on a theme, locating patterns and material and then producing the costume.  We would also go on the hunt to find that perfect pumpkin – just the right size, with a side that could be carved with a smiling face and big round eyes.

                                                  

            The fun of “Halloween On the Square” celebrated in Woodstock the Saturday before Halloween is far removed from the solemnity that once surrounded this holiday.  All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween) was a sacred time in the Church’s liturgical calendar.  In the Eighth Century the Church designated the feast day for All Saints, followed by the feast day in honor of soon-to-be saints, the feast of All Soul’s.  All Hallow’s Eve  became the way you prepared for these days.  It was a Vigil of prayer remembrance.

            Part of that Vigil time was to attend Evening Vespers.  One of the traditional Psalms used in the Vesper service is Psalm 130.  Because these words were heard in the setting of grief and loss they became particularly powerful.  Psalm 130 (129 in some translations of the Bible) is also known as the De Profundis.  You can hear it as an ancient chant through U-Tube.

Psalm 130

Out of the depths, I cry to you, O Lord,

Lord, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive

to the voice of my supplications!

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,

Lord, who could stand?

But there is forgiveness with you,

so that  you may be revered.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope;

my soul waits for the Lord

more than those who watch for the morning,

more than those who watch for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord!

For with the Lord there is steadfast love,

and with him is great power to redeem.

It is he who will return Israel from all its iniquities.

            This Psalm, which is sung or read every time Evening Vespers is celebrated, is also often a part of services in commemoration of those who have died.  It is an appropriate accompaniment to a holiday that treads the narrow space between the joy of living and the fear of dying. 

            Halloween can be more than a time for children and youth to load up on candy.  It can even be more than the family bonding time we experienced as we got ready to “make-believe”.  It can be a time of prayer and reflection.

            This Psalm of confession can challenge us with whether we truly feel we have anything to confess.  This penitential Psalm can provide the words we often cannot find to express our personal sorrows and pains.  This Vesper Psalm can serve as a goodnight prayer placing our trust in God for the night and our hope for the morning.

            May each of you find new meaning for Halloween this year.

Grace and Peace

Rev. Clara