I want to talk about the one element of Halloween that everyone seems to agree upon: fear.
Dare 2 Share - So I’ve spent the past few weeks on an extremely frustrating and complicated internet journey in an attempt to find out the true roots of Halloween. After all, I have two children that want to know what all the Halloween high jinks are about, and I want to at least think I know what I’m telling them about the second most celebrated day in America.
Are you ready for my definitive statement on the origins of this hotly debated, sugar coated, highly adorned holiday? Here it is:
I’m not quite sure.
Oh, I know all the information floating around (no pun intended). The legends of the Celts and their Festival of the Dead, the soulcakes, the beginning of the new year, blah blah blah…The problem is that all these “reputable” sources disagree with each other all over the place. Besides, the early Irish folks passed along historical information through oral tradition, which oftentimes can become a wee bit embellished.
Where am I going with all this? Simple- You know, like terror, dread, horror, fright, panic, alarm, trepidation, and apprehension? From scary roots to scary costumes to scary movies, this time of year reminds everyone of being afraid. For years we have had fun being scared and scaring each other.
Except the problem this year is that for the first time in a long time, we Americans have a valid reason to fear for our safety. We’re afraid to travel, open our mail, go to public events, or even turn on our televisions because we fear more dire news. Being afraid suddenly isn’t a “fun” event on October 31st; it’s an anxious and queasy feeling that we live with everyday.
The people in Jesus’ day were also fearful. The Romans could come and take their lives at a moments notice. Jesus had an interesting statement regarding their apprehensions about life:
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)
He is not saying that we shouldn’t be concerned about real dangers in the real world. Yet He is making an important distinction: your biggest worry should be about your eternal soul.
This Halloween would be a good day to remember that if you have trusted Christ as your only hope of salvation, you really have nothing to fear. Here’s what Paul said:
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." (Romans 8:15)
Commit your fears and your life to your Daddy. If He can take care of your soul, He can certainly take care of your circumstances.
Here are a couple of suggestions for October 31st:
Let the masks remind you that you are free to be yourself
Let the candy remind you of the sweetness of God’s grace
Let the darkness remind you that you belong to the Light of the World
Let the demonic themes remind you that you have victory over the "god of this age" through Christ
Let all the talk of fear remind you that your eternal future is secure
Let this be your verse for the day: The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)
Questions:
1) What fears do you have about the future?
2) Do you trust God to take care of you? Why or why not?
3) In what ways can you use Halloween activities as a way to share the gospel?
