Jesus Doesn't Hide on Halloween

For most of my childhood and early teens I hated Halloween. I hated it, not because of some connection with ancient pagan celebrations, or a fear that the dead could somehow cross over to the land of the living on that one mystical night...no, I hated Halloween because in my house, that was the night to turn off the lights and hide.


Growing up in an extreme fundamentalist home (note, there is no "fun" in fundamental, but there is a LOT of "mental"), my parents avoided anything that had a pagan origin. Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day (St. Patrick was Catholic, and therefore somehow pagan), birthdays, throwing rice at a wedding...you name it, if it was fun for a kid, it must be pagan. There are occasions where I wish someone would have told them circumcision was practiced by the pagans long before God told Abraham to take a sharp stone and...well, you know the story.

So once a year my father would lock the doors, turn off the lights, and we would sit quietly in the living room while children knocked on the door. "Don't make a sound...they might hear." As a small child I would sit and tremble...terrified of I knew not what...perhaps feeling like children did in the 16th and 17th century, when they believed that the knock at the door could actually be a long dead ancestor.

Now don't get me wrong. I completely respect Christians who opt-out of the celebrations, but please don’t think Jesus is hiding under his throne while Batman and the Little Mermaid knock at the front door. The reality of his Kingdom answers the deepest questions raised by this holiday. As his people, we must be ready to speak that truth instead of complaining about jack-o-lanterns. This is an awesome opportunity to share about God’s love. Just like Paul used pagan idols to teach about the Creator, we must use every opportunity to speak God’s truth into the confusion of our culture.

I don’t think Halloween is completely harmless, but most of what happens is playful. We’re not talking about devil worship, most families are just dressing up the kids like superheroes and getting some candy from grandma. What seems most dangerous is keeping silent when people need answers. And yet, in the midst of pagan-influenced culture, Halloween is the one night were many Christians rise up in judgmental wrath...often without seeing the incredible hypocrisy in their indignation.

Easter is celebrated during the same time as the spring solstice and selected for that reason because a pre-existent holiday. Many people see it as a time for eggs and chocolate bunnies. Christmas is celebrated when it is to coincide with winter solstice events because those celebrations were already in existence. Advent is almost identical down to the advent wreath and the candles to druidic festivals of light. The Christmas tree is a druidic tradition. Now many people see Christmas as a day for presents and fat men in red suits. Halloween is a night that many people associate with being scared and getting candy. Personally, I don’t see the problem with the third holiday as much as the first two. How can we put a Christian spin on Halloween when we can’t even keep the spin on our two most sacred holidays (speaking from a protestant Christian perspective)?

But what drives me even wonkier is the doctrine of substitution (theology geeks will laugh) that Christians apply to Halloween. Just change the name, and it's OK. Perhaps someone should tell them the early Church already did that. Halloween is a Christian name. Churches celebrate " Trunk or Treat Fall Festivals," " Hallelujah Night," and my personal favorite..."Harvest Party," where the only thing "harvested" are pumpkins, kids dress up in costumes, and are given lots of candy. Certainly no comparison to Halloween in that.

This is one invitation posted for a local church: "Our church is once again hosting its annual Hallelujah Night with games and singing and puppets and LOTS of candy. The kids are encouraged to dress as “something from the Bible”. They get very creative – burning bushes, pillar of fire by night, pillar of cloud by day, the Red Sea (big red “C” ), and of course a variety of Bible characters. It is a great time, the kids look forward to it all year long."  I think we'll take my granddaughter and attend. I'll go as Pontius Pilot, my wife will dress as the Witch of Endor, and my granddaughter can come as Rahab the Harlot.

Before you respond, check out Hebrews 2:14-15 carefully: "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he (Jesus) himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."

Did you catch all that? Satan has death & fear as his tools to enslave people, but Jesus overcame them both. He has broken the powers of evil and now lives as our champion. Bottom line, Jesus is not afraid of Halloween.