PASTOR DON UPDATED THIS BLOG IN OCTOBER 2022…
READ THAT HERE…https://recastchurch.com/recovering-halloweenies/
My title risks offense. Life is just full of risks . . .
I grew up in a culture that shunned Halloween like the plague. As a matter of fact, the church I attended through middle school prided themselves in never mentioning or acknowledging the event in the least. It was like a big game . . . Everyone knew it was coming, but nobody said anything about it. If Halloween fell on a Wednesday, that was awesome, because then you could see who was really committed to God because they brought their kids to church for the kids programs while all their friends were out plundering the neighborhood for sugary awesomeness.
I risk being redundant and repetitive and repeating myself (see what I did right there?), because I am pretty sure I posted a similar blog last year, but I have become more and more firm in my conviction that the number one place young Christian families NEED to be on Halloween is out in their neighborhood with their neighbors. I am not the head of your household and am not telling you what to do, but I have not seen a better day of the year for me to get to know the lay of the land in my neighborhood.
I live in a moderately large housing development in a rural town. People come in from the countryside to trick or treat in my neighborhood! It is a festive atmosphere. I get the chance to meet neighbors I have never met on the far side of the development. People come to my door and I give them stuff. The last couple years we have walked around the neighborhood with other neighbors and had good conversations. I have not yet seen the temptation to worship Satan, but I promise that the minute it happens I will pull the plug and go home.
Jesus declared that we are to be in the world, but not of the world, but while we are in the world, we are to be salt and light. Light only has any impact when it comes in contact with darkness. Salt only has its effect when it comes in contact with that which is bland or in risk of decay. Let’s get out there and party like we have real eternal life. Let’s have fun AND get to know those who live right around us. This Halloween could be the start of some new relationships in your neighborhood. But it will not be the start of anything new if you are hiding out in your house in the dark . . . Praying that no little kids stop by asking for candy.
I am a recovering Halloweenie, anybody else want to join me?
I love this! As a newer christian i sometimes feel like Halloween should not be mentioned. But i totally agree! We need to be out in the world spreading the joy and love of Christ. Thanks for giving your perspective, Pastor Don!
I wholeheartedly agree! It is important that Christians fully engage in life around them.
When we were raising our children, there was a lot of pressure from the Christian community to abandon Halloween. Our children wanted to enjoy the fun so we limited costumes to those that were not scary in nature.
About 20 years ago, we created a big castle out of cardboard boxes. It spans the width of the driveway and has 4 rooms. I rein over the castle as âThe Princess on Cypressâ. The title began when I wrote my testimony as a Medieval allegory and handed it out to the children. It was about a Little Girl who wanted to be a Princess. She was adopted by a Magnificent King and through the Power of His Royal Seal he helped her defeat the Dragon that held her captive.
Halloween is such a joy and blessing to me. One year we researched Medieval games and put them out for the children to play. Another year, we served cool aid out of a smoke filled black pot and handed out cards about the Sparkling Fountain if Life from which one can drink. The year of 911, we handed out cards acknowledging the Fear Throughout the Land and the comfort one could receive from the Magnificent King. I find that Medieval themes speak easily to the Gospel.
Every year I don my Royal Garments, set up my throne beside the entrance to the castle and welcome the little Tigers, Gypsies, Princesses, Vampires, Ogres, and Super Heroes to the Kingdom.
Tonight, Prince Eric is reining in my placeâ¦â¦. I better post this blog soon⦅I need to get outside and set up the castle.
I agree also. I was able to avoid the conflict for years because we lived in the country where no one ever came to our door and the kids were homeschooled so didn’t even really know what they were missing. Once we moved to a neighborhood I had to evaluate it from a different perspective. I thought back to my own childhood and remembered that there were certain houses that never participated. The other neighbors were warm and friendly and happy and smiling and seemed do glad to see me when I came to their door! I came to assume that the people who lived on the dark houses were grumpy, scary people who did not like children. Wrongly, of course. But what a different opinion I might have had if I had been warmly received at their door the one time a year I knocked on all my neighbor’s doors.