12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."
14 Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.
He referred to Himself later in the book of John as "the way, the truth, and the life," the sole way into a relationship with God the Father. Sole, as in solitary, and soul, as in the fact that He is the One who will illuminate our hearts and bring us into the knowledge of God. He wants us to know His truth and to discern between good and evil. 1st John 4 says to "test the spirits." We have to be able to distinguish good from evil and truth from life - and as Ephesians 6 suggests, to extinguish those "fiery darts" that the enemy brings to deceive and defeat us.
In Romans 13, we can read a passage that reinforces our call to be people of the light of Christ. It
says:
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
Each year, October 31 is a day, not a holiday, mind you, in the official sense, but a day, even a season that people celebrate. And, while many regard it as good fun, there are certainly serious spiritual origins to the day - and people spend serious cash to buy costumes, candy, and the like. The Hill reports that, "Retailers say they expect American consumers to shell out $8.8 billion this Halloween on costumes, candy and pumpkins. That figure may sound massive, but it represents the second consecutive fall in annual spending..."
But spending has been growing over time - one professor says that parents have the disposable income to spend on the "frivolities." Another says that Halloween is an "expenditure-visibility holiday," as the level of parents' spending can actually be "seen."
So, there are serious retail implications, no doubt, but the seriousness of the spiritual roots of this observance should not be ignored. A CBN article relates:
Heidi Franz suggests some ideas on the JellyTelly website about "shining light" at Halloween. She relates four ideas, including pumpkin carving, perhaps using a resource by Mary Manz Simon or Liz Curtis Higgs, both of whom have written uplifting books centered on pumpkins. She also mentioned the idea of a "Walk Through the Bible" night, similar to a live nativity, where children would walk through various "stations" and see Bible stories or characters portrayed. She also mentions the idea of a "Fruit of the Spirit" jar:
Whatever we decide, in this and all things, we should search the Scriptures, seek the Lord, and follow His direction. We can also give latitude to those who have also sought God's counsel and come to a different decision.
+++++
In Romans 13, we can read a passage that reinforces our call to be people of the light of Christ. It
says:
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
Each year, October 31 is a day, not a holiday, mind you, in the official sense, but a day, even a season that people celebrate. And, while many regard it as good fun, there are certainly serious spiritual origins to the day - and people spend serious cash to buy costumes, candy, and the like. The Hill reports that, "Retailers say they expect American consumers to shell out $8.8 billion this Halloween on costumes, candy and pumpkins. That figure may sound massive, but it represents the second consecutive fall in annual spending..."
But spending has been growing over time - one professor says that parents have the disposable income to spend on the "frivolities." Another says that Halloween is an "expenditure-visibility holiday," as the level of parents' spending can actually be "seen."
So, there are serious retail implications, no doubt, but the seriousness of the spiritual roots of this observance should not be ignored. A CBN article relates:
The origins of Halloween are Celtic in tradition and have to do with observing the end of summer sacrifices to gods in Druidic tradition. In what is now Britain and France, it was the beginning of the Celtic year, and they believed Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could escape only by assuming disguises and looking like evil spirits themselves. The waning of the sun and the approach of dark winter made the evil spirits rejoice and play nasty tricks. Believe it or not, most of our Halloween practices can be traced back to these old pagan rites and superstitions.The author, Elliot Watson, says that he did some research into how certain witches observe the day and he describes his findings:
“Shock” is the only word to describe what I found. Halloween is a real, sacred day for those who follow Wicca. In fact, it is one of two high and holy days for them. The Celtic belief of spirits being released is current, along with the worship of Samhain (the lord of death) – both are promoted as something to embrace on that day. There is no question in my mind that to those who believe and follow the practices of witchcraft, Halloween represents an opportunity to embrace the evil, devilish, dark side of the spiritual world.So, Halloween has presented a dilemma for Christians. Some choose to ignore the day all together, some churches have a special day observing the Reformation or All Saints' Day, which was an early Christian response to the pagan traditions. Churches do Fall Festivals as a Halloween alternative - to give children a chance to dress up in non-scary costumes and have fun in a safe environments. And, there are ministry opportunities that occur, such as a judgment house that tells the story of God's plan for humanity, including a portrayal of the afterlife and the reality of hell.
Heidi Franz suggests some ideas on the JellyTelly website about "shining light" at Halloween. She relates four ideas, including pumpkin carving, perhaps using a resource by Mary Manz Simon or Liz Curtis Higgs, both of whom have written uplifting books centered on pumpkins. She also mentioned the idea of a "Walk Through the Bible" night, similar to a live nativity, where children would walk through various "stations" and see Bible stories or characters portrayed. She also mentions the idea of a "Fruit of the Spirit" jar:
Fill a jar with all the collected candy and label it “Fruit of the Spirit”. Sit down with your child and explain that your family is going to help each other develop the “Fruit of the Spirit” using the candy jar. Choose one characteristic per day. Every time someone is "caught" displaying that behavior, he or she gets to take out a sweet treat from the jar. Encourage the kids to look for other family members displaying the “fruit” as well.In his CBN article, Watson sees this season as a teaching time. He writes that this could be an opportunity to teach children, and that Christians can discuss the world we live in, highlighting the goodness of God and evil of Satan, and celebrating God's triumph. He writes:
...rather than “hide” in the face of evil, we should unabashedly and boldly create an alternative that is positive and uplifting; that celebrates good over evil and the triumph of God over Satan. We need to provide an environment that also makes room for heaps of fun while using the day as a “teachable moment” to celebrate God’s protection, provision, and purpose for our lives.It is certainly a time for ministry - it's been suggested that people use this as an evangelistic opportunity for those who will be knocking on their doors, perhaps handing out a gospel tract along with the candy. And, churches can reach out to the community with special events that present a gospel message in the midst of activities. I do think we should de-emphasize the scary elements of the day, perhaps embracing the "fall" or even "harvest" aspects of the season.
Whatever we decide, in this and all things, we should search the Scriptures, seek the Lord, and follow His direction. We can also give latitude to those who have also sought God's counsel and come to a different decision.
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