The decorations alone for Halloween are enough to make me throw up in my mouth a little. Most decorations are centered around death and the devil. There is a house, here in central Minnesota, that leaves their Halloween decorations up all year. They have tombstones, skeletons, witches, ghosts and other demonic figures. Fortunately, we only pass by their house 9 or 10 times a year. But, when we do, I can't help but cringe and look the other way.
As a follower of Christ I have the belief that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers of this world" (Ephesians 6:12). I don't want to expose myself or my family to anything that could allow the enemy to have a foothold in our lives. There is a spiritual battle going on for us, especially if you are a follower of Christ. If you have decided to follow Christ, this battle will be greater because the enemy will do anything in his power to bring you down. We must stand guard and protect our minds and hearts in Christ Jesus.
I am also against anything that causes anyone to be afraid. So much of this holiday is about making people scream: dressing up as goblins, haunted houses and people jumping out of bushes is totally scary. The Bible says in 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear." We also learn from the same chapter that God is love. What this passage tells me is that Jesus and fear do not operate in the same room.
My impression of Halloween is that it reflects our culture. Over time this holiday has decayed. Our standards and morals and values have been lowered because what was forbidden 20 years ago is tolerated today. We have allowed a little yeast to sneak into the bread of our society. Unfortunately, what is happening is we are becoming desensitized to evil things. And what happens as a result is that we push the presence of God out of our lives.
Someone asked me yesterday, "What is your view of Halloween?" I want to finish this post by sharing my answer. I would say that there are two extremes of people in what they do on October 31: There are those who will sit in their houses, with their lights off and boycott the day. Then, there are those who will have decorations up, as I mentioned before, and may even go so far as to sacrifice animals (yes this happens). I definitely fall somewhere in the middle and leaning more towards the first extreme. I am all about redeeming anything for the cause of Christ. How will we reach people if we don't go out into the darkness? If we were to withdraw whenever the enemy makes an appearance, we wouldn't be able to go anywhere. Instead, Jesus calls us to be the light of the world. Tonight, is a great opportunity to let our lights shine before others.
Tonight, I look forward to joining others in our church for a Trunk or Treat. This is one event on our church's calendar when we know we will have un-churched people in attendance. I guarantee you, we are not having an occult experience. However, we will be representing our church and Jesus by reaching out to our community, through providing a safe environment for entire families to come play games and get candy. I will also be taking my kids to visit my neighbors. It's one of the few opportunities to go to a neighbors door without it being totally awkward. We will also be meeting those who come to our front door in search of candy.
This is not my favorite day of the year, because of all the darkness that surrounds it, however, it's also not my least favorite because of the opportunity it presents us to represent JESUS.
