The Beacon
Blue Mound UMC October 2025

Trick or Treat?

Halloween is a holiday for both children and adults, dressing up in costume, bags and
buckets of free candy treats, celebration and colorful spooky parties. For many people
just innocent fun. The Treat. But for others a time of mischief, pranks and doing harm.
Halloween has a dark side, rooted in a long-ago practice. Halloween’s origins date back
to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. (Pronounced sow-in)
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, in the area that is now Ireland, the United
Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day
marked the end of summer, the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time
of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night
before the New Year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became
blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that
the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging
crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the
Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely
dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of
comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh
century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 as All Saints’ Day, a time to honor
saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the
Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. Later, in A.D.
100, this holiday was celebrated much like Samhain with big bonfires, parades, and
dressing up in costumes as saints, angels and devils. Eventually, the night before All
Saints’ Day began to be called all-hallows Eve now what we know as Halloween,
October 31. The Trick.

Continuing with Three Simple Rules… Do No Harm
A few months ago, I began sharing from a little book entitled Three Simple Rules
by Rueben P. Job. It’s one of those little books I return to from time to time, and so I
wanted to share it with you in the hope that it would bless you too. So, he continues…
There may be another reason why we overlook this basic building block of
Christian living (Do No Harm) – we are afraid of its consequences. To abandon the ways
of the world for the way of Jesus is a radical step. While this step is very simple and
easily understood, it is not easily achieved. We realize it may lead us where we do not
wish to go. Are we really ready to give up our most cherished possession – the certainty
that we are right and others wrong? Can we trust God enough to follow the ways of the
Spirit rather than the ways of the world? If we choose to follow this way, will we be seen
as weak and at the mercy of others rather than as powerful and in control of every
situation? If we choose this way, will our position be eroded and our point lost? The risk
seems so great and often our fears speak so much louder than our faith.
Is it possible to live in this complex and violent world without doing harm? Are we
supposed to turn the other cheek to those who distort the truth by selective use of the
facts of any given situation? Is it wise to do no harm to those who seek to harm us, our
future, or our reputation? Are we able to limit our response to a way that is not
destructive to those who use false and violent words that seek, to harm and destroy us? Is
it possible to speak the truth in love and gentleness when others seem to speak partial
truth in anger and hatred?
It is a challenging path to walk. Yet even a casual reading of the gospel suggests
that Jesus taught and practiced a way of living that did no harm. His life, his way of life,
and his teaching demonstrated so well the first simple rule.
There are many reasons why we find it difficult to embrace the first of these three
simple rules. But the good news is that we don’t have to make this journey alone. There
is always One who stands there with us. And not only stands there but invades us with
Spirit Presence and Power to practice our faith with integrity and in fidelity to the One we
seek to follow.

Pastor’s Corner >Continuing with Three Simple Rules… Page 2 of 2
This truth is at the heart of the Incarnation and of Pentecost. The good news is that
it is possible to practice a way of living that is in harmony with the life of Jesus and
survive, even thrive in a world like ours. It is both a challenging and rewarding way to
live; and each of us, with God’s help, can live such a life fully, faithfully, and joyfully.
What would it mean if we took this first simple rule seriously? First of all, it would
mean an examination of the way we live and practice our faith. And if this examination
were thorough, it would surely lead to a change in the way we practice our faith. To do
no harm is a proactive response to all that is evil – all that is damaging and destructive to
humankind and God’s good creation, and therefore, ultimately destructive to us. To adopt
this first simple rule as our own is a giant step toward transforming the world in which
we live.
To do no harm means that I will be on guard so that all my actions and even my
silence will not add injury to another of God’s children or to any part of God’s creation. I
will determine every day that my life will always be invested in the effort to bring healing
instead of hurt; wholeness instead of division; and harmony with the ways of Jesus rather
than with the ways of the world. When I commit myself to this way, I must see each
person as a child of God – a recipient of love unearned, unlimited, and undeserved – just
like myself. And it is this vision of every other person as the object of God’s love and
deep awareness that I too live in that loving Presence that can hold me accountable to my
commitment to do no harm.
Perhaps the greatest consequence of all is that we are formed and transformed to
live more and more as Jesus lived. And this personal transformation leads to
transformation of the world around us as well. As two people in a long and successful
marriage begin to think, act, and even look like each other, so those who practice this
simple rule begin to think, act, and perhaps even look like Jesus. It is a gigantic step
toward living the holy life that brings healing and goodness to all it touches. This simple
step will change your life in good and wonderful ways, but there is more.
Next month, we’ll look at the second of the three simple rules – Do Good.
Peace be with you, Buster

Birthday
01 Stacy Schertz
Suzanna Stenger
David Muns
15 John Smith
16 Charlie Ziegel
Jeanne Levelle
17 Charles Bressler
24 Carolyn Brooks
27 Shirley Haisler

Anniversary
03 Aaron and Katie Klein
11 Shayne and Jesse Miller
20 John and Dorothy Smith

Things Kids Say about OCTOBER

"October is when the leaves dance like they’re having a party."

“Sweater days are the best days because my arms get hugs from my clothes.”
"I like October because the trees put on their brown and red pajamas."

"Apples get crunchy and happy in October."

For Kids of All Ages

October Calendar
05 Holy Communion
12 Second Sunday Lunch, Noon

25 Family Fellowship Night, 6:00 pm Fun, Games, and Food.

What: Hay Ride & Hot Dog Roast
When: Saturday October 18 th – 5:30 p.m.

Where: Kay Trietsch home. The Trietsch Farm has been in operation for over 100
years. It is Shirley Haisler's original family home place.
Bring some fixin’s, a side dish and enough hot dogs/buns to roast for your family.
Join Us > Be prepare to enjoy good company, have fun and an old fashion great time.
Who: Questions: Check with Kay Trietsch for more details & directions to the farm.

BLUE MOUND UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
8421 N. Interstate 35, Denton, TX 76207-1537 (940) 382-0825
Midway between Denton and Sanger at Exit 473
Sunday School: 9:30 am, Sunday Worship: 10:45 am
Website: www.bluemoundumc.org
Linda Boyer, Newsletter Editor
Need to contact Pastor Buster Noah?
Email: pastor@bluemoundumc.org