EmailFew issues are as sticky in Christian Churches as Halloween. This year Halloween 2008 falls on Friday night. Should we just find the best Halloween crafts and Halloween recipes and throw an outreach party? Or is the history of Halloween too involved in witchcraft?
I want to hear your ideas about Halloween. Is it really Devil’s day? Is it something we should use to reach children for Christ? What is your church planning this year?
If you have some solid Halloween ideas, or links to Halloween coloring pages, leave them in the comments below.
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I think many people have a misconception about what Halloween represents — at least what it originally represented. It is one of the oldest holidays, having been celebrated in some form or another since medievel times. It was actually originally a religious holiday. It was “All-hallow’s Eve”, the night before “All Saint’s Day”. It was a part of the celebration of harvest. The costumes and bonfires where meant to frighten away the evil spirits not a celebration of them. It is only modern society, largely with the help of Hollywood movies, that has glorified the evil aspect of the holiday. If taught in the right context, I don’t see why this holiday which plays a large part in our history can’t still be celebrated by our children.
I agree with several of you, but what sticks out in my mind is the fact that in everything thats negative can be turned around into something positive. Take a look at Christmas: what in the world does christmas trees and toys have to do with it. I teach my kids the real meaning of christmas, and I participate by getting a tree and buying them toys and giving gifts. It all about His birth, but it has been taken out of context. So has Easter. When you look at Halloween from what I have research it didn’t start out evil, but once again society has taking it out of context. I know you may say, yeah, but nothing evil comes out of christmas. But wait a minute, people committ suicide around christmas, depression sets in; children are sad; and so on. We know that there are many parents who allow their kids to dress up and go out and trick or treat. If we know this, then why dont we help the situation, and have something to get them off the streets. And of course make it all about Jesus.
Kids are not celebrating the devil on Halloween. It may have originated from the devil but as always God makes something bad into something good. Halloween is a HUGE outreach to your community as a Christian. I see these people in our community once a year, and let the light inside of me shine. Conversations take place, seeds are sowed. If all the Christians are no where to be found on Halloween in our community, then the enemy wins. You never know what soul will cross your path on any given day, and this includes Halloween.
Well it sounds good except we’re trying to make something out of what’s not. This is what I told a child once, I personally don’t celebrate that holiday, however churches all around are doing Harvest Festival, to me this is just another way to invite the enemy in your territory unwillingly.
Biblically speaking the way we do it isn’t of the Bible. Where are the fruits and the grains of the Harvest Festival to the Lord.?
We can wear a nice costume, but it still a bad party.
In Utah, Halloween is celebrated bigger than Christmas! To combat the prevalent culture when my children were young, I made/purchased great costumes (not Halloween costumes) & let them wear them throughout the year, which served to deemphasize Halloween & separate real from pretend. We also had fall child-evangelism parties to spread the good news of God’s Love, & 2 Tim 1:7 as we passed out candy and tracts. We did another activity during Halloween, (if we weren’t passing out candy/tracts), & then we bought all the candy they wanted (I’m talking grocery bag sizes) at 75% off, which meant the reward was great from standing up for what is right, sharing the gospel and honoring God. It was a learning curve to find the best way for us to honor Jesus. Now that they’re grown, we stand outside haunted houses, pass out tracts/share the gospel, and pray for those that desperately need Jesus.:)
Our church does a Harvest Party every year. The last few years we’ve used Group material to give it a biblical theme. I write a booklet that the kids take to the different games and get stickers. When they are finished, they have a booklet to take home that tells the stories behind the games they played. This year the theme is “The Great Tomb Raid” with the emphases on Jesus’ life. It should be lots of fun.
We have a Trunk or Treat at our church. We probably touch both ends of the spectrum, with those that don’t touch Halloween with a 40 foot pole and those who have never thought twice about it. I am the Associate Pastor if our church. My personal feelings, as well as those in the top committees of our church, feel it’s a great opportunity to be visible to our community.
In the Keys, there is one road that connects everything. We are off of the Northbound lane. Everyone who wants to go somewhere will eventually go by the church. We will have live music (our Praise Band), a fire pit for s’mores, corndogs and lots of goodies to hand out. We even had a lady last year who dressed up like a Bible character and told the children Bible stories. We make it like a small fair where families can get off the street and away from the haunted houses (lots of people do this to their homes here), and get a dose of pure Love with no strings attached.
It may not be for everyone, but I have seen God bless our people, as well as the families that stop and visit.
Get a large pumpkin & as you’re cleaning it out talk about how God cleans out all the yuckie stuff in us. You can name sins like lying, being mean, not obeying parents. As you cut out a face keep talking about Jesus & how he frees us from sin. Put a candle in the pumpkin & let the light of Jesus shine through.
This is something I will be doing with my children.
Halloween can be fun, and Christ based. Dress up (appropriately) and join in with the rest of society. You do it every single day. TRUST ME, your kids are hearing and seeing more evil in a regular day of school and television than they will on this day! We as parents look to far into it. They want to go out and get candy. period. They want to dress up and pretend for a day. Mine do it that almost daily. So why not let them join with their friends but instead of scary, turn it spiritual. give out candy with a bible verse on it. Or instead of ‘Trick or Treat’ say “Jesus loves you!”
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/mpatterns.htm
I agree with you that our children see and hear evil on a regular day of school and in these cases, we have no choice. We must teach them and ground them in the word as best as possible and cover them in prayer. I do disagree with you on participating with the rest of society in the celebrating of halloween, even if you aren’t dressing goulish and saying “trick or treat”. In this we do have a choice. The reason being, the Bible tells us to flee from the very “appearance” of evil. If you are involved in the activities, then you are participating in the event. Jesus hung out with the sinners, but he didn’t participate in the activities. He preached his Fathers’ word and encouraged sinners to cease from their wordly ways and give their heart to Christ. Just my opinion and conviction.
Sherita I so agree with you. Thank you for the truth.
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