Boo, I See You

“Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.”  -Romans 12:21

All Hallows eve, “Halloween”, good, bad or don’t care?

As we come upon October 31st once again we must sit back and challenge the acceptance of Halloween for what it is and for where it came from. There is a long history associated with this particular day dating back thousands of years. As the shift from more daylight hours (during the summer months) went to more dark hours (during the winter months) the belief was that spirits roamed the earth in the transition. Originally, it became a festival of sorts in Celtic and Druid tradition on the eve of November 1st. This pagan tradition (originally called The Vigil of Saman) and festival was celebrated by people dancing and parading wearing the skins and heads of dead animals. Some would wear costumes of evil images to blend in with the evil spirits that may be out and about that night, so as not to come under attack. The name Halloween, stems from the original name “All Saints Day” which the Roman church moved from May 1st to November 1st in the 8th Century AD. This day was to honor all of the saints that did not have a specific date set aside for them. This later became known as “All Hallows Day” and therefore the night before became known as “All Hallows Eve”. Eventually this became known as Halloween in the mid 1500’s.

For years now the questions around Halloween as it relates to Christians has been debated. Let’s be very clear, there is no glorifying message or presence of Jesus Christ in the Halloween festivities and celebrations. You might take the secular side of the debate, celebrate with the kids and hold true to the harmlessness of the day, or you might take the other side, not support it and hold true to the celebration of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Whichever side of the debate you are on, it is important that you address it with your children. I know as a child growing up, it was viewed as such an exciting time because of all of the costumes, candy, bobbing for apples, trick or treating, pranks and pumpkin carving. Many of these traditions stem from the pagan festivities of old, albeit’ not celebrated as such in today’s day and age.

We learn from the scriptures that we are to avoid evil ways of the world and focus all of our attention on the righteousness and glory of the Lord.
In Ephesians 5:11 Paul tells us, ”Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them”
In 1 Corinthians 10:21 he states, “You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord's Table and at the table of demons, too.”

Pray about how you are going to handle this with your family this year. You have to make the choice on how to celebrate with your family. Candy, costumes, carmel apples and the other traditions need have no significance in your celebrations, but family togetherness is always important. Use this time of year to draw close to one another and enjoy the fellowship of the Lord. Many churches and organizations are having fall celebrations or festivals, I suggest you seek these out and make that a part of your family traditions, rather than partaking in the celebration of evil spirits through costumes representing such and watering down the righteousness of God. Be safe, have fun and be careful.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
We come before you to lift you up in all that we do. We seek your wisdom and conviction in our lives to help us to remain focused on you in all of our activities. Help us to avoid the evil ways of Satan and the conforming to worldly views . Let your light shine through each of us in our choices and actions that all might see your righteousness and love. Help us to be an example to those that might have succumb to the world. In all of our days, we lift Your name in praise – Amen.

(c) Sondove Enterprises, 2010
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