Our Halloween Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Lahoma:
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Ephesians 5:11
It’s that time of year that I love… the Fall leaves, high school Friday night football games, cool crisp mornings, apple cider, the smell of pumpkin pie in my oven…. And yes, the challenge of selecting/making the perfect costume, orange and black decorations and candy candy candy!
Halloween brings a huge flood of fond and happy memories for me as a child with my family and I am sure you have the same feelings as you enter into the month of October knowing that the 31st will soon be here. School festivals, trunk or treats, church alternative events, and as the sun sets tonight, the streets will once again fill with groups of kids scampering from house to house in search of the largest haul of candy to take home and partake in. However, every October 31, Christians face a number of questions about Halloween such as, "Should I dress up?" and "Should we answer the door and give out candy?", and think to ourselves that its all just innocent fun, and after all we are just "pretending"…. or as Christian parents we wonder if we should even allow our children to go out trick or treating because after all, everyone else is doing it….. Without a sufficient knowledge of Halloween's history and what the Bible says, it is difficult for a Christian to adequately answer these and other questions about participation in Halloween. I have personally read several different opinions about the history of this time of year, some balanced and some overly filled with fear factors to convince believers that they should just go home and turn off all the lights and hide in their closets to avoid the wrath of God for even giving any indication of participation in Halloween. If you have driven past my house this month, you will undoubtedly know that I have done my best to "light up my neighborhood" with colorful lights and a giant inflatable cat and goofy Frankenstein on my lawn and several of my neighbors walk by every night with their small children and comment on how "fun" my house is during this time of year. I hope that my house is welcoming tonight as children and adults come to my doorway, and I will welcome them and bless them and celebrate this night as if it were any other night that God had given me to share the good news of Jesus to those He brings my way.
Many Christians think that Hallowe'en is an outgrowth of Christian tradition honoring the saints of the Church on the evening before All Hallows, or All Saints Day, but in truth, most of its customs are remnants of ancient pagan superstitions connected with the Druidic new year, demon worship, human sacrifice and satanic ritual. The date was a joint festival known as Samhain (or Sowein), held in honor of the Celtic people's sun god and their Lord of the Dead. The reason many Christians associate Hallowe'en with Christianity is that in the eighth century Pope Gregory III established November 1st as the Roman Catholic feast day honoring the dead. Then, in the ninth century, Pope Gregory IV decreed that the day was to be universally observed by the Roman Catholic Church which, at that time, held the greatest influence among the Christian populous because of its political strength. The evening before, that Roman Catholic feast day coincided with the pagan Samhain festival and came to be called All Hallows Eve or Hallowe'en (Hallows Evening). In reality, then, Hallowe'en was at first a pagan festival which was later merged with a Roman Catholic feast day.
The original celebrations of what we know as Halloween dates back to before the time of Christ. In the Celtic countries of Europre, the Druids set aside October 31 to honor Samhain, the lord of the dead. The day honoring Samhain highlighted the gloom and cold of the coming season. The Celts believed that Samhain assembled all the souls of the dead on October 31, the eve of the Celtic new year. This freed them to return to their homes, where their families were to entertain them. If they didn't find an acceptable welcome the spirits would cast spells or cause other problems for the living (the first form of trick or treat). Gourds were carved and spirits of the deceased and/or demons were imprisoned in them and left on doorsteps to torment the inhabitants of that home. To prepare for the arrival of these spirits the Druids built huge bonfires, sacrificing animals, crops, and even humans. This fire was also used for divinations (they studied the remains of the sacrificed animals). During this ritual, many people wore costumes made of animal heads and skins. When the Romans conquered the Celts, they combined the festival to Samhain with their own festival honoring Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees, making apples and nuts an important part of the rituals. Despite the influence of Christianity these pagan rites continued. In America however, because of the strong religious convictions of the early settlers, Halloween celebrations were banned. In the early 1800's, as more immigrants of Celtic origin arrived, Halloween celebrations were instituted.
As in all areas of our lives, we need to turn to God’s Word to discover His Will for us in relation to how we choose to act on October 31st. The Old Testament warns us in Deuteronomy 18.9-12: "When you come into the land which the Lord thy God gives you, you shall not learn to do the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire(child sacrifice), or that uses divination (witchcraft), or an observer of times (astrology), or an enchanter(casting spells), or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer(someone who communicates with the dead). For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee." Even though you may think "… I’m only pretending" if you choose to dress up as one of these things listed in Deuteronomy, but do you think God appreciates seeing His children dress as things that are an ABOMINATION to Him? Do you think that glorifies Him? If you feel it is ok to dress up for Halloween festivities, I exhort you to really examine what you choose to represent… things that are pure, holy, good report, life (Phil. 4:8-9 is a good check list to review before deciding)? Or death, evil, and darkness…? The Hebrew word used here in Deuteronomy for "abomination" is a very strong word, implying a churning in one’s stomach with a sudden and violent need to vomit. This is how our Holy God feels when He sees these kinds of actions from His children.
My beloved brothers and sisters, aren’t WE supposed to be LIGHT in the darkness? Romans 12:2 tells us to "be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Aren’t WE the children of God and shouldn’t we look for every opportunity to share the love of God with others during every season of the year? I myself believe that October 31st is God’s Day just like any other day, and I look for every opportunity to praise the Lord and build relationships with those that come to my house tonight. The decision to distribute candy on Halloween or allow your children to 'trick-or-treat' is something each individual Christian must do for himself. But as we look at the roots of Halloween and what the Bible says, we now have the firm foundation we need to base our decisions on. As a child of God, choose wisely how you represent your Savior on this day and every day, and do not grieve the HOLY Spirit Who lives within you. Bless those who come across your path or to your doorway tonight, and be LIGHT in the darkness of this world without compromising your faith.
Shalom,
sister Lahoma
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