Many Christians that I know have a hard time with Halloween. I never have – part of it comes from knowing church history and the origin of the holiday (it is actually a holy day), and part of it has to do with understanding what Jesus taught His followers about shining His light in a dark world. I have written and taught at other times about the historical aspects of Halloween. I wanted to share today about being a light in the darkness.
Jesus said that He is the light of the world (John 8:12). Even though the world was dark, He chose to come into the world and shine the light of God. The darkness fought against His light, but He continued to shine, and He overcame.
Jesus also taught that His followers are the light of the world (Matt 5:14). Even though the world is dark, He lives in us and we can choose to shine for Him. The darkness will fight against His light, but we can continue to shine; we shall overcome with His love.
Halloween is the perfect time to follow the example of Jesus and shine His light. Halloween, which was once a holy day of remembering the dead who loved Jesus, has turned into a day about death, gore, and candy – a strange combination! Christians do not need to run away but run towards this day with the light of Jesus. We don’t need to say how terrible Halloween is, we need to see the fun and connection that are happening in our communities and be part of helping those good things grow. You can’t complain about the darkness if you refuse to shine His light.
As for me, I encourage my kids to dress up. I tell them (with a smirk) to dress like Christians who have been martyred for their faith (they never have). We tell stories about Christian family members who have died. My older kids will go to friends’ houses for parties and my younger kids will walk the neighborhood, getting to know our neighbors. I will stay home and pass out candy, getting to see great costumes and getting to know our neighbors. All of this is an investment of time and money, but it is worth it to shine His light.
I hope you have a great Halloween this year. Shine His light!
thanks for sharing your thoughts