Fall has been lovely in New England this year. The colors have been vibrant. Even after the leaves are on the ground, their colors are beautiful. Pumpkins are plentiful, and mums abound. God is so good to give us such beautiful colors to enjoy. With the beauty of fall we often forget the harshness of the winter which lies ahead.

The reverse is true in the spiritual realm. Halloween comes, and the children enjoy “Trick or Treating.” But the underlying focus of Halloween is death and evil things. But the day following Halloween is All Saints Day. We have not given this day much attention in in our Protestant tradition, but it is worth looking at.

All Saints Day is a day when those of the faith who have gone before us are recognized and honored. We particularly note the many martyrs who have died because of their faith in Christ. The statistics on this are staggering. Consider that in the past 20 centuries 70 million have died for their faith. Contrast that with the fact that in the 20th century alone 45 million died. That is over half in one century compared to the total of the previous 20 centuries. Approximately 1,600 people have died every year since 1990. For these the cost of discipleship has been their lives.

So let us not take lightly the gifts God gives us nor the costs of following him. May we live each day in a way that honors Christ.