One of the most dreaded holidays for
Christians is approaching. Halloween has developed over the centuries through
pagan influences and Celtic roots. Even the early church played a part in the
development of this holiday when in 609, Pope Boniface IV re-dedicated the
Pantheon in Rome to "St Mary and all martyrs,"[1] and later Pope Gregory III's (731–741)
founding of a public gathering in St Peter's for the artifacts "of the
holy apostles and of all saints, martyrs and confessors".[2] Over the course of time, the holiday
developed and shifted. "Originally celebrated as the night before All
Saints' Day, Christians chose November first to honor their many saints. The
night before was called All Saints' Eve or hallowed eve meaning holy evening."[3] Hallows Eve later became known as
Halloween.
The historical significance of
October 31st continues with the posting of Martin Luther’s “The 95
Thesis.” On 31 October 1517, Martin Luther’s initial letter known as, "Disputation
of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences," addressed the
sale of indulgences to Albrecht, Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg.[4]
This letter later became known as “The 95 Thesis.” This year, 2017, is the 500th
anniversary of Reformation Day, which spread Protestantism across Europe. “The
impact of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation has been enormous on
global Christianity. In contrast to the extra-biblical traditions and
works-based practices of Roman Catholicism, Luther called the Church back to
the good news of salvation by grace alone through faith alone (Ephesians
2:8-9).”[5]
For many people, this holiday will
be a nice relief from the conversations on politics, a world in chaos, and an
economy that is crushing families. Many churches will offer alternatives for
believers to take their children to so that parents and their children do not
have to endure all the images and worst aspects of what Halloween has become.
Many Christians who stay home will choose to not participate by keeping their
lights off and not answering their door to the “Trick or Treat” calls. Instead,
they will escape to their TV, with their family and ignore the holiday.
Unfortunately, the church and
Christians are missing the greatest opportunity for evangelism. Many Christians
shudder at the thought of approaching a stranger to share Christ, but on
October 31st lost children and parents will come knocking on your
door. This could be the greatest opportunity for you to introduce Christ
to your neighbors this year. Let me offer a few ideas for you to consider help
you and your family honor Christ this Halloween.
·
Choose a Biblical costume for you to
wear when answering your door. Be Christ, Moses, or one of the disciples.
Engage those who knock and share the story of your character.
·
Use the old-fashioned approach and
purchase tracts to distribute in addition to candy. Jewish customs were to rub
honey on the lips of the children after reading the Torah. The Word of God is
sweet and what better way to help children understand the sweetness of Christ.
·
Purchase little favor bags (like
used for children birthday parties). Every character is appropriate in this
season of costumes. Put candy, a little New Testament or promise book, tract,
and/or invite to church in the bag, so it all stays together.
·
Get your Christmas decorations out
early. Put your outdoor nativity up, or go and invest in one. Ask children when
they come, “Do you know the story of Jesus?”
·
On this gruesome holiday, share the
most gruesome story of all. Put up three crosses in your yard. You could leave
them bare, or cover them with blood and three nails appropriately placed. When
the holiday guest arrive ask, “Do you know the story of the cross?”
·
Have a prayer station. Collect
prayer request and pray for those who request prayer.
·
Turn your yard into a mini-festival.
Ask other Christians to join you. This festival could include an outdoor movie,
a Bounce House, Hot Chocolate or Coffee, face painting, bean toss, popcorn,
cookie decorating, Karaoke, or S’mores.
·
If you are part of a church that is
not doing anything, provide your congregation handfuls of flyers to distribute
to those who visit their homes. On these flyers, do not put your picture, but
put the Gospel message, upcoming church events for the family, and support
services your church offers for marriages and families.
·
If you are part of a church hosting
an event, be sure it includes an evangelism opportunity for all who come.
The excitement is building as we
anticipate this year’s Halloween outreach. Last year we prepared 300 individual
bags of candy for all who visited our mini festival. While ghouls and goblins
lined the streets, our home was a welcome sight for families with small
children. By the end of the night, over 500 kids with their guardians stopped
by our house for Halloween fun. This means about 1,000 people participated in
our neighborhood outreach. We could not have done it without our 16 faithful
volunteers who helped us distribute popcorn, hot chocolate, coffee, and of course,
candy, while others staffed the bounce house, monitored the outdoor movie,
helped with cookie decoration, or painted the faces of kids. This year we are
expanding our outreach by preparing 500 bags (candy and tracts), including a
second bounce house and a providing a tent for prayer and sharing the
Gospel.
We are planting seeds. What will you
be doing this Halloween?
[1] Saunders,
William. "All Saints and All Souls". catholiceducation.org. Retrieved
19 September 2016.
[2] Chisholm,
Hugh, ed. (1911). "All Saints, Festival of". Encyclopædia Britannica
(11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
[3] NEDCO
Producers' Guide". 31-33. Northeast Dairy Cooperative Federation. 1973.
[4] "BBC Religion & Ethics - In Pictures:
Martin Luther, Wittenberg and the Reformation". Bbc.co.uk. 1 January 1970.
Retrieved 30 September 2017.
