When I was a kid, Hallowe’en was a lot of fun. Costumes were home-made (though I confess that neither my mom nor I had any creative ideas as to clever costumes), often buildings, schools, and even houses were decorated. The emphasis was on dressing up and having fun, particularly the having fun part as it involved going from house to house collecting candy. There were always people dressed as ghosts but everyone knew that those were the people who had no costumes other and so they put a white bed sheet over their heads and pretended to be a ghost. There must have been elements of darkness and evil present, but I can honestly say that I wasn’t aware of it. But my, how things have changed! Now, the emphasis at Hallowe’en is almost entirely about darkness. Witches, zombies, warlocks, etc. Pagans (I know some people who claim to be pagans) love this day. Certainly, Satanists do. There are still Christians who have absolutely no problem participating in Halloween activities, but other Christians are not wanting to do so.
The discussion comes down to, should we be, as Jesus says we are, “the light of the world” whom he instructed to shine into this darkened world? In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus said: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven”.
Or are we to have nothing to do with darkness? Parents, especially, are concerned and are now wanting to protect their children from the forces of evil which are so prevalent at Hallowe’en in our modern society. But also, Christians, in general, are simply wanting to be vigilant and discerning as to any effects the forces of evil might be having. As a result, more and more churches are switching from Hallowe’en observances to hosting Harvest Gatherings or Fall Fest parties.
Our church will be hosting a Fall Fest gathering. Last year, our hall was full, and everyone had so much fun, which was the intention, along with presenting Jesus as the one and only “Light of the World”. Simply put, Jesus is telling us to go out and engage our communities. If we have the light of Christ living through us, then what good does it do to simply isolate ourselves from people that so desperately need to see it? What is the point of that? I’m not saying to compromise our belief systems or principles in order to engage out communities. However, let’s be honest. Is having a hayride, a bounce house, free food, and live Christian music really compromising on our Christian values? I certainly don’t think so. My son attends our church’s Mother’s Day Out program. Today was trick-or-treating and dress up day, so Lacie and I allowed him to dress up as Batman, at his request. Does this mean we have compromised our Christian values and are “false Christians”? I think not. Jesus didn’t spend all His time with all of the “saved” people. He went out and sought out those that were in desperate need of the light of the Savior. He ate with them. He fellowshipped with them. He prayed with them. He loved them. They saw the light, and because they saw the light, many of them were forever changed by it. That is exactly what we are going to do. We are going to engage our community. We are going to feed them. We are going to fellowship with them. We are going to pray with them, and we are going to love them. We are going to show them the light of Christ in the hopes that they will be forever changed.
So, I am excited that, once again, we will be having a Fall Fest party. It is not only a positive thing for our own children, but it is also a great way to engage with our community. As we continue our 60th Anniversary celebrations, the Fall Fest party is a safe venue in which to invite friends. Please be in prayer for us as we host this party on October 31st. May we shine as representatives of God’s light in our community.
