- Morning Devotional
- October 29,
2005
"Halloween" (Part 3)
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This means I am not bound to obey people just because they pay me, yet I have become a servant of everyone so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with the Jews, I become one of them so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with those who follow the Jewish laws, I do the same, even though I am not subject to the law, so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with the Gentiles who do not have the Jewish law, I fit in with them as much as I can. In this way, I gain their confidence and bring them to Christ. But I do not discard the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. (1 Corinthians 9:19-21 NLT).
I have a confession to make! This is going to be so hard for a preacher to admit. Gulp! I like Halloween. No, I’m not kidding… I really like Halloween! I love the candy, scary costumes, more candy, horror movies, jumping out of the bushes screaming, “Boo!” Oh, did I mention the candy? What a great day to be a kid! Or is it? After becoming a preacher, I was warned about the dangers of celebrating Halloween. “If you allow your children to participate in Halloween you are allowing them to play on ‘the devil’s turf,’ and Satan will definitely press his home court advantage.” wrote William Schnoebelen. Stories abound of witches and devil worshippers meeting throughout the night. Others completely ignore the warning as merely the ravings of mad fundamentalist crusaders out to spoil every child’s good time. Halloween is an opportunity to play dress-up. Halloween inspires creativity and imagination that seems to be missing today. One Internet site writes: “Halloween is a chance to trot out all of our silly superstitions, our fear of the dark and laugh at them.” Which view is right? “All of them. No, I mean none of them! Don, what do you mean?”
Halloween actually began with the ancient Celtic tribes who lived in the British Isles. November 1st was a day of honoring the dead and celebrating the New Year. Christians combined the ancient practices and came up with All Saints Day, a Christian holiday meant to honor the saints of the church who died, especially those who have been martyred for their faith. The night before became known as All Hallow’s Even or “holy evening,” later shortened to Halloween. In others words, Halloween is a unique blend of pagan and Christian rituals all designed to help us remember those who have died.
Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians, “I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ.” (9:22) I like this attitude because we are urged to treat people and their beliefs with respect and look for common ground before sharing our love of Jesus Christ. So, both views are right. We can participate in Halloween activities with caution. Halloween is our way of saying to evil, “I am not afraid of you. I will not give in to you.”
Halloween is a reminder for me that evil forces may occasionally have their day… or night but as sure as the sun comes out each morning, the next day will belong to God and the saints of the church who will all rise from their graves. Now that I think about it, I may never look at a pumpkin or Halloween the same way again. Honestly, I still like the candy best. The devil is real, however so is our God! Give him everyday in everyway!
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