Some of you may already be miffed. If so, sorry, but owell. I've got a few minutes before full-blown party preparations begin and wanted to share my heart with other Christians, those who may be wondering about the legitimacy of believers participating in what is historically considered a "pagan holiday."
Indulge me for a couple minutes as I share how we've celebrated Halloween for the past 14 years at the Doucette home. My parents, sisters, their husbands and children all come over for a potluck dinner of homemade soup, sandwiches, and pumpkin squares (a la sister Kim). Most of us dress up (the really cool ones, anyway). The real kicker is that along with candy bars we offer trick-or-treaters and their parents warm chocolate chip cookies and hot apple cider. When we first began this cider/cookie tradition, we didn't hand out many - most parents looked upon us with suspicion (as they should). However, as we've come to know our neighbors, as we've reached out the hand of friendship over the years, we find that the number of cookies and cider cups continues to grow each year. In some ways, it's a test of sorts for us: how well have we spent the year getting to know our community?
Hang in there with me - I don't believe this to be a black & white issue, and my desire here is merely to offer an alternative to withdrawing and segregation every year on October 31st. Several years ago I discovered the following tract that literally changed my worldview:
Happy Halloween Tract
#64 The Tract League
Grand Rapids, MI 49544-1390
Did you know that Halloween is even older than your grandparents?
A long time ago, before it was ever called Halloween, it was known as New Year’s Day, even though it was celebrated in October instead of January.
It was not a happy time because people were scared of evil spirits. The priests, called Druids, carved spirit faces on pumpkins and other vegetables and sold them as charms to keep away the evil spirits. Some were so scared, they would offer sacrifices, hoping the spirits would not bother them. It was a time of fear and sadness and it went on for years and years.
In the 8th century, the Pope wanted to persuade people to stop offering sacrifices to evil spirits. So the church tried to turn it into a holy day. They asked the people to use it to get ready for All Saints Day by giving food to the poor. If you were poor, you could go to any home that had a candle in the window and receive a gift of food. The Pope called it a hallowed evening or Hallowe’en.
The people in the church were happy to follow the Pope’s plan. But most people kept on being scared because they didn’t know about Jesus.
It’s still a scary world. There is really only one way to stop being scared, and that is to invite Jesus into your heart. He wants to come into your heart so much that he gave up his home in heaven to come to earth to save us from evil. He even died on the cross to pay the penalty for the evil things you and I do., But he rose from the dead and now he is in Heaven getting ready to come back as our King. You can talk to him anytime, and here is a prayer to get started:
Dear Jesus: I am sorry for the things I do and say that are wrong. Please come into my heart. Take care of me and help me to live for you. Amen.
I love Jesus and I am pleased that you came to my house tonight for a treat. I hope you have a happy Halloween. Most of all, I hope you invite Jesus into your heart because he loves you very much. You can learn more about Jesus by going to Church or Sunday School.
Believe me, when I became a parent, I wrestled with this issue long and hard. But I soon realized that as a child of God, Satan didn't deserve even one day out of my year - not even one second! And so we celebrate. We celebrate the blessing of a wonderful family, of good food, of friendship. We celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ saved us from death, despair, and fear. We celebrate that Satan no longer has any hold over us and we celebrate that once a year, dozens of children and their parents willingly come up to our door to share a piece of their lives with us. And that's all they're doing, sharing their October 31st with us, wanting us to smile and compliment their cute kids, and offer them a piece of candy they'll most likely confiscate and eat later on.
What do people see when they look at your house? Do they see the light of Jesus? People are hungry for hope, they are cold with fear and despair.
No matter how you choose to celebrate Halloween, I challenge you to commit your reasons to the Lord, to ask Him to grant you peace in this decision. If you decide to follow in the Doucette tradition, then I have one final commission for you:
Hurting and lonely people are coming to your door tonight -
LOVE 'EM UP WITH THE LOVE OF JESUS!!
p.s. This year we're all dressing up like Pirates . . . Aaaarrrr!
tags: halloween christianity catholic spirits evil satan trickortreat pumpkins family friends cider
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