Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. – 2 Chronicles 21:20

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 31, 2016): 2 Chronicles 21

Welcome to Samhain, which officially begins at sunset tonight. Samhain is a Gaelic festival that marks the end of the Harvest (In my part of the world I hope that the crops have been in and harvest has been completed for at least a couple of weeks now – but often, and if the weather holds, the harvest takes longer than we might want.) It also marks the beginning of “the darker half of the year” – Winter. Samhain is celebrated tonight representing the halfway point between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. It is also one of the celebrations that are part of the foundation for what we celebrate today as “Halloween.”

I did not grow up in an anti-Halloween family. I totally understand Halloween’s pagan roots, but, for me, Halloween was a fun night to go out and collect candy. It was a great night for my dad because I also have some food allergies, so at the end of the night my Dad got to keep more of my collected haul than I did (at least it seemed that way.) The family tradition of candy collection on this night has continued. Tonight, my grandchildren will shift into Cinderella, Batman, and Spiderman for their personal pursuit of their candy. And in the empty lot next door to the church, cars will gather with their trunks open to pass out candy to the costumed children who pass by our church looking for some candy to help get them through “the darker half of the year.”

Halloween has also become a good time to be scared. Often people seem to like to curl up and watch a horror movie on this night. There is something that feels right about being scared when you are safe in the confines of your home with your family and friends gathered around. But real fear, something that I hope you do not have to experience on this night, is different – and it is not pleasurable.

For me, this is one of the scariest verses in the Bible. The idea that someone could live their lives and then die, and no one would miss them is terrifying. But this verse goes even a step further. Jehoram of Judah died “to no one’s regret.” His death was apparently a painful one. And to top it all off, Jehoram was buried in Jerusalem, but he was not given the honor of being buried in the Tombs of the Kings. Essentially, Jehoram of Judah seems to represent a wasted life – and that is a true horror story.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 1