I got this on my email this morning and think it is good. I am sharing it here for your edification. ginnyrose
************************************************************
Spooks, Skeletons, and Saints
(By Micca Monda Campbell)
[Edited]
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15 (KJV)
Many Christians don't know what to do with Halloween. They wonder if they should ignore it; protest against it; go along with it, or find alternative ways to participate without offending their faith. We often reason, nothing good can come from evil so why take part in this holiday? Yet, Joseph tells us in the bible that what is meant for evil God can use for good. In that case, Halloween can be an opportunity for us to do good!
Some of you may be wondering if I've been living on a far away planet unaware of what Halloween is. No, I'm very much aware of its meaning and tradition. Before Christ, Halloween was part of the Celtic Feast of Samhain. This Druid priest celebration commemorated the beginning of winter. The Festivals consisted of animal sacrifices to the dead and bonfires in recognition of departed souls. Those who participated in the festival believed that goblins, demons, witches and elves were sent from the world beyond to harass the living. For self-protection, the Druid's would dress up like ghouls and goblins and involve themselves in demonic activities. They believed participating in this way kept them from being attacked by real witches and demons.
The early church responded by moving All Saint's' Day from spring to fall and renamed it Hallows' Eve. In doing so, Christians used the pagan festival as a catalyst in which to proclaim Christ's death and resurrection. Halloween, for the early church, became a time to evangelize. They took something evil and used it for good. We would do well to follow their example.
Halloween is full of trickery and illusions about mystical powers and the living dead. Christians today can use these illusions in comparison to the truth that Jesus overcame the grave by the power of God and is the true Resurrection and Life. Better yet, those who are in Christ will also conquer the grave and live forever in the presence of God. What good news to share on a dark day!
There are many ways to share the good news of the gospel. My church has a Harvest Party on October 31 every year. The children play games and collect candy while the adults enjoy hayrides and wiener roasts. The most significant part about our party is the gospel room. This is where a drama is presented sharing about the good news of Jesus Christ and His saving power. One way for you to share Jesus with others is to invite an un-churched family to your church's festival.
Another way to participate if you're a stay-at-home kind of person is not to turn off the lights and hide as some of us tend to do. Instead, be a shinning light on a dark night. Tie scripture or gospel tracks to some candy and hand it out at your front door with Christ-like love and joy.
If you have the gift of hospitality, then have a Harvest party at your house. Invite friends, family, and neighbors to sit around a camp fire or your living room floor and swap Holy Spirit stories rather than ghost stories.
Halloween is not a time for avoidance. It's a time to communicate with your children, family, and friends that, "yes," evil, death and the grave are real, but through Christ, we are more than conquerors over it all. What better time to share this good news with others then when our minds are on such things? It's an opportunity to take something meant for evil and use it for good.
"Dear Lord, Give me your perspective on Halloween. Help me to be a shining light on this dark night by sharing about your saving power with my children, family and friends, in Jesus Name, Amen."
Power Verses:
1 Corinthians 9:19 "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible." (NIV)
Mathew 5:13, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." (NIV)
1 Corinthians 2:14, "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (NIV)
-----
Follow up note from Chris:
I really don't like Halloween. I hate seeing all the witches, spiders, devil costumes, and the general theme of death and fear! Is it just me or has anyone else noticed in the last few years that a lot more people are decorating for halloween, much like they do for Christmas? People have whole houses decked out with halloween lights, spider webs/spiders, goblins, witches, skeletons, etc. I've noticed a shift in our culture where more and more people seem to love to glorify this stuff more blatantly than before...even supposedly "Christian houses". Or maybe that's just in my local area, I don't know.
Many people see it as just harmless fun - and that decorating with witches and skeletons is a part of that. I used to think that too. But I am convinced there is MUCH more behind the scenes with all that supposedly "harmless" stuff than we might realize.
I certainly loved Halloween as a kid - you know back in the days when you actually could go trick-or-treating door-to-door. I'm not sure what changed there either, but it seemed to happen sometime in the 90's where less and less people started doing that. Again, maybe that's just my local area. I LOVED getting the candy, dressing up as fun things, etc. I never saw it too much as "evil" and so to me it WAS mostly just harmless fun. But as a Christian adult, as I've grown closer to Jesus, the more I've become acutely aware of "the other side" to this "holiday". In this culture where things are getting very black-and-white and the grey is disappearing, where we're either on the side of righteousness or wickedness, I recognize that halloween is on the side of wickedness. Fear is not of God and Halloween is all about fear!
At the same time, like the author of this lift, I also am not content to just let the devil have his day. I do NOT believe that the best approach is to go hide in the darkness with all the lights off! I do believe that our children and family should be taught the clear distinctions of right and wrong and that we should not celebrate halloween as the halloween holiday that the world celebrates. We are to be light to a dying world, not stoop down to their dark level! And in this very serious world in which we live, in which all people are being forced to choose what side of the fence we will be on, I see it as imperative that our children see the clear distinctives in us! However, that doesn't mean, as the author of the above piece mentioned, that we as called-out believers in Jesus can't have some fun ourselves rejoicing in fellowship with one another, praying together, having some candy, even dressing as fun things, etc.
But the best thing would be to use halloween as a great excuse to shine even brighter to a dark world. So, yes, I'm all for people handing out gospel tracts, etc. I know some people don't feel that's appropriate - for various reasons - and I do understand them and see the "other side". This is a conscience issue and is between you and Jesus. But to my way of thinking at least handing out tracts is doing SOMETHING on behalf of righteousness (and thus Jesus) on what otherwise would just be all about wickedness. I see the value in that. But like I said, I understand why some might have reservations on that as well.
The point is, we don't need to just let the devil have his day. There are a myriad of things we can do to spread the love of Jesus. On a dark day, all the more important for us to shine even brighter. Let's do it! :) :)
~From Laugh & Lift at http://www.laughandlift.com
