Waking the dead

It was November 1st all saints day in Guatemala…walking through a grave yard at night.

Here they don’t celebrate halloween, there were no children trick or treating on October 31st instead there are families and mariachis in the graveyard on November 1st all day and night.

It’s weird, this grave yard is unlike any other I’ve been in. It’s not depressing or scary…I sense hope and peace.

It’s my understanding that the Catholic Church established all saints day to pray for the dead and celebrate the saints. Halloween came about because people would say demons would try to mess up all saints day. Yet now Halloween is all people seem to celebrate back in the United States.

Please understand I don’t agree with the doctrine of praying for the dead (Hebrews 9:27) or praying to saints (1 Timothy 2:5), it’s not biblical.

Yet I do find it interesting that the whole town picks one day a year to remember their loved ones I see families with kids coming together, where sorrow was, there is singing.

If I agree or not, this is something important to the people it’s part of their culture and life experience.
One man asked if I was lost I said no that I wanted to learn about his culture, he was surprised his eyes lit up and he said very good.

It seems that few foreigners show up to this event in the grave yard. Foreigners will go to the kite festival or lake Atitlan but few go to learn about this…

In this town the Christian churches are active and their presence seen.
I’ve heard worship music and seen outreaches.

The apostle Paul once spoke of being all things to all that some might be won to Jesus. (1 Corinthians 9:19-22)

He also went to Athens where they worshiped an unknown god. (Acts 17:16-34) The Apostle Paul then proceeded to share the gospel. He observed their practices and culture to understand how to share Gods love with them.

As I walked through the grave yard that night I realized that God can meet people in any place or culture.
He can make beautiful things out of dust, and turn sorrow into joy.