“Son of man, can these bones live?”

Next week the church celebrates All Hallows' Eve [popularly called "Hallow e'en" or "Halloween"] , the Festival of All Saints and All Souls day, a tridium (a three-day celebration) of commemorations of the dead dating back to pre-Christian eras. The BOS (Book of Occasional Services) provides a form for a service on All Hallows' Eve(Oct 31). This service begins with the Prayer for Light, and it includes two or more readings from scripture. The options for the readings include the Witch of Endor (1 Sm 28:3-25): Why Christians Reject the Occult, the Vision of Eliphaz the Temanite (Jb 4:12-21):, the Valley of Dry Bones (Ez 37;1-14) Living Skeletons, and the War in Heaven (Rev 12:[1-6]7-12). All Saints Day is one of the seven principal festivals of the church year instituted to honor all the saints, known and unknown, and, to supply any deficiencies in the faithful's celebration of saints' feasts during the year. All Saints day is celebrated on Nov. 1. The last day of this Christianized  commemoration of the dead is known as All Soul’s Day, falling on November 2nd. On this day, the Church remembers all of the faithful departed who died peaceable deaths with the expectation of Christ’s promises of eternal life. Together this tridium celebrates the Communion of Saints - a fellowship of the Holy Spirit encompassing the living and the dead. The Prayer Book provides for All Saints’ Day to be celebrated on the Sunday after Nov. 1, therefore we will celebrate all saints on Nov. 6.