Today is Halloween, the day in which spirits haunt their forgotten remains, men howl at the moon, and millions of children do whatever they can to eat as much candy as possible before their parents take it from them. In the last few years, I’ve heard arguments from numerous people as to how Christians ought to avoid or fully participate in Halloween. While I don’t know if I have a fool-proof answer that will apply to all, here are a few things I think about when it comes to how the Christian ought to approach Halloween.
My wife is currently taking a class on Addictions as part of her program for her Marriage and Family Therapy degree, and she’s shared with me a few things from the class. One thing that struck me was that people can be considered alcoholics without ever having touched alcohol. They can become ruled by the need to avoid alcohol and, in a sense, alcohol remains a controlling factor in their life. It may not have the same impact on their life and relationships as one who habitually consumes alcohol, but it still is a controlling force. I think this analogy can apply to how we approach Halloween. Are you consumed with avoiding it? Is much of your energy around this time of year devoted to keeping Halloween, and all that accompanies it, at bay? Or does your life become fixated with celebrating Halloween in as many forms and mediums possible? Is Halloween a controlling factor in your life this time of year? If it is, I think this calls for self-examination.
A quote from Martin Luther has been especially helpful for me as I sort through a healthy approach to Halloween. He once wrote, “I often laugh at Satan, and there is nothing that makes him so angry as when I attack him to his face, and tell him that through God I am more than a match for him.” I believe that Halloween provides Christians the opportunity to laugh at Satan, to remind him that death no longer has any hold on us because of what Christ has done for us. If we approach Halloween with fear and trepidation, worried that it might be giving a foothold to Satan, we are, in fact, giving Satan a foothold with our fearful attitude. But if we approach Halloween with a confidence that rests in Christ’s resurrected life, what once was scary is now seen to have no power at all.
Today, as you are surrounded by ghouls, ghosts, witches, werewolves, and the cutest kindergartners you’ve ever seen, remember that in Christ death no longer has any sting. We can celebrate Halloween, not as a day that belongs to the forces of darkness, but as a day in which Christ’s victory is seen to be even more victorious. Today, we are reminded that Satan is much like a child in costume, masquerading as one with power and strength, but truly nothing more than a child with a cheap latex mask.
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