Support Update and HALLOWEEN!

Before I talk about Halloween, I’d like to address the area of Christmas and Easter. Yes, I believe that the incarnation of Jesus Christ, and His death and resurrection are the key components to our faith. Yes, I love both holidays. But think about it. If we’re really going to be this gung-ho about celebrating the incarnation, death, and resurrection of our Lord, we really should be doing that every day! We really should. These core elements of our beliefs should be on our minds, in our hearts, and on the tips of our tongues each and every day. Not just on two days of the year. Now, let me just clarify. I am by no means saying that I am against the celebration of Christmas and Easter. I guess I’m just saying we should treat every day like Christmas and Easter. That’s how excited we should be about Jesus Christ! And we agree with that, then we have to be honest that the things that make those holidays our favorite are good, but not equated to Christ. They may be family time, presents, eggnog, or snowflakes. They may be easter egg hunts, palm branches, ham, and daffodils. They are all wonderful elements, but if we celebrate Jesus Christ fully each day, they simply do not compare. Now, on to Halloween. 

Yes, I understand fully the pagan notions of Halloween. I understand its origins and its reasoning. I am not saying that I support belief systems that contradict God’s Word. In fact, it very much saddens me. We live in a lost and broken world. What gets me about Halloween, though, is that it’s okay to reach out to the lost the other 364 days of the year, but on Halloween? No way! Surely the good Christians stay inside or post a note on the front door and leave a basket of tracts about the evils of Halloween.

On what other day is it nationally acceptable to roam the streets, knock on every door you see, and engage in pleasant conversation with people of the community? I am not saying we should limit this to Halloween day, I am just stating that this is the only day that it is not only acceptable, but expected. (And hey, you get free candy out of the deal.) Should we not use this opportunity to do more than say “trick-or-treat,” get our fill, and walk on to the next house, pillowcases in tow?

In high school we had a sort of unique Halloween tradition. We went Christmas caroling. What other day of the year will people open up their door to a bunch of teenagers? We also played tricks on them, setting up scenes in their front lawn and not moving for minutes on end. It was quite fun. We even tried treat-or-tricking, where we gave them candy instead. All that to say, Halloween can be a time where we as Christians can engage with the community in a comfortable atmosphere. We were even invited into some people’s homes! (Be wise.) They came to expect our visits each Halloween. Looking back, I wish we had visited more often and capitalized on that opportunity, but I digress.

What would happen if we used this amazing opportunity to engage the world in fellowship? What if we, as PBU students, not only showed up at strangers doorsteps and begged for candy? We tend to engage the community here only when we want candy and are dressed in costume. How tragic is it that this is the only interaction they have with PBU students. Why are we not reaching out to them on a regular basis? Knocking on their doors, just wanting to spend time with them? I know I do not do it. Partly because of safety issues. Could we use our brains and come up with a safe way to do this? Probably. But for now, we have Halloween. When people won’t call the police for us being on their porch. What an awesome opportunity to show the world that Christians aren’t scared of them. That we aren’t mad at them for dressing up their child like a witch. That we (gasp) love them!

One last point. Costumes. I wish it was culturally acceptable to wear them on a regular basis. I love dressing up. I love being creative. Personally, it freaks me out to look all bloody and nasty, so that’s not my cup of tea. I also don’t watch scary movies, but we’ll save that for another time.

Okay. We are created in the image of God. He is the ultimate Creator. When we create, we act in His image. This is involves music, painting, brainstorming, landscaping, etc. Oh, and as we talked about in chapel, making omlettes. We have one day of the year set aside where we can exercise creativity by dressing up in costume and using our imagination. What a wonderful thing to allow our children to do! To use their imagination and pretend to be a princess or a flower or a knight or a baseball player. God created us with imaginations and desires and creativity (granted, some more than others). And personally, I think it brings glory to God when we act in His image and are creative. I think Halloween is a wonderful opportunity to do just that.

At the risk of sounding theologically incorrect (and by no means am I trying to cheapen the incarnation of Jesus Christ), I just want to throw this out there. Please don’t jump at theological assumptions, I am not trying to say this is gospel, I am just trying to throw an abstract idea out there. In some way, when Christ came to earth, He assumed a different identity. He did not desert His diety, but He took on humanity. “And being found in appearance as a man…” He was acceptable to the world in some way. He was concretely involved in their lives. In their synagogues. In their houses. He “put on” flesh, and went into a lost and dying world in order to redeem souls unto Himself. Would it be too far stretched to say we are acting in His image when we do the same? When we engage in culture in order to be better lights in the world? Just think about it. I am.

So, since the church of Jesus Christ is called to be His hands and feet in redeeming the world unto right relationship with Himself, let’s redeem this holiday.

Dress up. Trick-or-treat. Meet people that we otherwise may have not met and develop relationships. Use your imagination. And give God all the glory.