I used to hide under a rock when Halloween came around. That's what we were trained to do by our parents. And so we'd either hide away in our basement and watch a movie and turn all the lights off or we would go to our church that would have the classic 'alternative' option of some kind of festival and games night.
But as I've grown in Christ I've learned that although I don't agree with much or any of what Halloween offers I see it as a great opportunity that is rare in our culture and that only comes around once a year. It's the opportunity to engage with our community in a very personal way. It's the one time of year that people expect you to knock on their door and it's also the one time a year when people feel more than comfortable to knock on yours.
So instead of running and hiding from this event why can we not embrace what could come out of it.
I think that as Christians we are inspired by scripture to be bold about who we are and who our God is. I'm pretty sick of having a passive Christianity that many of us were raised with. I think that just handing out candy is giving into the culture and doesn't show Christ's love at all. I think that hiding in the basement is really just hiding from what we might consider evil. I know of something that is stronger than evil and that is Jesus! I know of someone that is greater than death and hatred and sin and disgust and that is Jesus!
So this year I have challenged those around me to take up this opportunity to be a blessing in their neighbourhood and to be actively looking for places to shine the light of Jesus into what is so often a dark event. Do you think by chance that this could be an opportunity like no other all year long? Why should we run from it. Shine the light into the dark places!
John says, The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
So then we are more than conquerors!
Romans 8!
In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So then let us not stand timid and shy of evil but to claim the truth of Jesus in the face of it! Resist the devil and he will flee from you through the power of Jesus Christ.
So what does your Halloween look like?
Great post, Russ!
ReplyDeleteOne could hand out the Scripture passage you mentioned or some other Christian literature along with the candy and chocolates, as well as, an invitation to our local church.
Hmmmm! So many other things come to mind!
Thanks for the comment Waltrude. There are many possibilities and I think that our minds and hearts will be expanded as we continue to ask God where and how we can best be His ministers to bring Him glory in all circumstances. I'm glad it's got your mind running and I look forward to continue to share with you what God will continue to do!
DeleteNot sure I agree but good food for thought. My question is, what did you do that made your family look different than everyone else's? We have gotten together with other families for years "hiding away" , but before we did that I would package up generous bags of candy and walk them over to all of the neighbourhood kids and explain why we wouldn't be handing out candies that evening. It was our way of making contact with them and hopefully letting our light shine.
ReplyDeleteAnita Vogt
Hey Anita,
DeleteFirst I want to say thanks for posting your comment. I love the first line that you wrote because it tells me that just because you don't agree right away that you're open to dialog about it. And that's exactly why I love blogging is so that I can have a place to continue conversation in a different way with people as I regurgitate my often raw and growing thoughts.
Second I want to say that this idea for me is fairly new this year. It will be a work in progress and I don't know what it looks like in the end. I guess I've felt challenged to think of Halloween as an opportunity this year more than others and I'm excited to see what that all translates to.
Thirdly I'll answer your question of what we did. We chose to do a couple of things intentionally this year. One thing we did was we put out a carafe of hot chocolate out at the front of our house that had a sign on it that said it was for parents to stay warm. It also contained the verse from Matt 7:9-11 which has become a bit of a favorite for Isaac and I. It reads,
"Jesus said, “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
If you, then, though you are evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven
give good gifts to those who ask him!”
I thought it was fitting for a day when people give things away to others. I don't know how many people read the verse but I know about 15 cups were gone at the end of the night (not just blown away :)) and I noticed one family in particular take the time to read it and fill up their travel mugs. So that was one thing.
The second thing that we did is something that we do every year and that is to intentionally visit those in the neighbourhood that we have started to form a relationship with. I take the kids out as my excuse to knock on some doors. We've been here for two years now and have about a dozen houses around us that we can stay and chat with a bit. I also took the time this year to reintroduce myself to one neighbour specifically and we talked about how there have been lots of young families moving into the area in the past few years and I was able to continue to share my vision for a community festival that would be fun to have in the summer or just simply a community BBQ. She personally loved the idea and now that makes about 5 families that I've talked to about that so we'll pray into that leading up to next summer!
I also made sure to drop by those in my immediate area that I don't know well to at least show my face and let them know who we were and that we lived not far from them. Just a continued gesture of openness and friendliness that I want to continue to develop in the area.
That's about it! It wasn't a ton of stuff that we did but the things that we did we did on purpose and on mission and that I think is the key. I think that is what I am thinking about when I write this article and I continue to wonder in amazement of who our God is how we can do that better and together.
I'm glad you posted this comment. Thanks again for engaging me in this way and I look forward to continue to be in your life maybe in this way and for sure in person on a continual basis.