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Chances are … if you’re like me you have mixed feelings about Halloween. If you’re a kid in a Christian family, you’re hoping for a one night adoption by the pro-Halloween family down the street so you don’t miss the fun. If any of this is resonating, chances are there’s some tension as to how to cope with Halloween. So I’ll dress up as the guinea pig and let the topic out of the cage, knowing the “more religious” may wave their wand of holiness in my face, and the “more accepting” will come to my rescue. But more than hoping for any candy out of the the deal, what I am hoping to provide is some timely perspective.

Yep, that’s me … It’s true, I grew up celebrating Halloween. Not only did we, we loved it. We lived in a small town and annually looked forward to Halloween with about as much as Christmas. We never bought costumes, but every year managed to manufacture old clothes into the most industrious of disguises. Our garage became the props dept, the tool shed was an armory of the make believe, and the flatbed truck we piled into was transformed either into a UFO, the Apollo 13 lunar rover, or the Beverly Hillbilly’s family truckster. We’d pile in and trick-or-treat to our heart’s content. It was a night that provided our family some of the most cherished memories of laughter and fun. Seeing my conservative Canadian dad (director of Forest Home) dressed up like “Jason” in his ol hockey mask didn’t make me scared of him any more than it made my dad real. My sis bopped between being a Witch and a church mouse. I annually lived out my dream as a hippy/rock star. Mom sported a “shoeshine boy” outfit that today would be more non-PC than back then! Maybe we didn’t know better, but it doesn’t seem to have scarred us. Back then everything seemed simpler and maybe the Darkness that’s since set in and claimed full ownership of this holiday was as young and unschooled as we were back then. Maybe our parents were naive to let us dress up like witches and ghosts and make a mockery of the demonic underworld. It was actually our church that sponsored the all town Halloween gala equipped with the most competitive cakewalk and costume contest this side of Transylvania.

Now as a Pastor, I’m conflicted by what Halloween provided for me, and what it has become today. I would have to say things have changed for the worse. Times today bear no semblance of days gone by and it would be nothing short of irresponsible for parents to treat Halloween as a benign innocent night, or condone activities that would open and expose the minds of their kids to things so blatantly unchristian, even if in the name of fun. It’s not that I’m expected to shove my memories under a rug and pretend they didn’t exist. But it is expected that I now act with a greater depth of discernment in light of the way our world has changed. Nor do I think it necessary to not participate at all. I know many Christians who insist on a complete shutdown when it comes to all things Halloween. They won’t open the door, won’t trick or treat, button down the hatches, turn out the lights and surrender the night over. But before we resort to that, let me suggest some happy mediums (no Halloween pun intended) and ways in which we might positively participate in redeeming All Hallows Eve …

1) Halloween isn’t what it used to be. Wanting to spare you a lengthy history lesson, let me sum up the History of Halloween by saying the day originally marked the change in seasons within an agrarian society. For them, summer had passed, the Harvest had been picked, gathered and stored, and a celebration of such was in order before hunkering down for a long winter. Later (around the 8th century) Pope Gregory would adjust things on the church calendar so as to attach a religious purpose to the social custom (incidentally that same thing would happen with the customs surrounding both Christmas and Easter making Halloween no more or less holy than either of them). What was intentionally meant as a celebration of the harvest, hard work, provision and bounty, became a day meant to remember the work of the saints who had given their lives for the greater Harvest and cause of Christ and His Church. That history unfortunately has long been dead and buried. It has become a night of celebrating everything evil, dark, promiscuous and mischievous. Sure, when I was young there was an element of that, but the kids who were devoted to dabbling in black magic were far outweighed by the kids who didn’t. Honestly, we were just in it for the candy. Unfortunately, today people are in it for all manners of the worst kind and parading iniquity and indulgence. If the church has a role to play in Halloween, it certainly isn’t by naively playing along but rather in providing some much needed redemption and true celebration of the living kind that we have in Christ.

2) Don’t be a victim. Whether you hate Halloween or love Halloween don’t be a casualty of Halloween. Like it or not we can’t change the fact that every year Halloween comes around. Let’s work redeem it. I see no value in defending it, but I also don’t see the need in being defeated by it either. So dress up if you want. But take the higher ground. Don’t be a stupid witch or a lame zombie from the Thriller video. Instead find an exciting character with some biblical characteristics to emulate. Make plans to use the night to build some lasting family memories. Find a church community (like Horizon) that throws the biggest safe and fun celebration in town for you and your family and friends to enjoy. Doing so does not compromise your beliefs. Your participation in it does not mean your acceptance of it any more than your participation of Christmas has anything to do with Saturnalia or the winter solstice. Let’s take it back. It’s not the night to pretend who we aren’t but to be who we are in Christ.

3) Don’t be anything other than who Christ has called you to be. Don’t be afraid to make a positive impact on the darkest night of the year. Be Bold. Be Brave. Be an Example. Weigh out the appropriateness of your involvement (or non-involvement) and make sure that who you are in Christ is not taken off or laid down for a moment. Dress yourself in Godly wisdom, discernment and the shared Mission we have been given to boldly step into a world of darkness and celebrate the Light and Life that we have been given to give away. It was on October 31st that Martin Luther chose to nail his thesis to the church door in Wittenberg. I encourage you to open up the door this “All Hallows Eve” and bring proof to the world of the reform and redemption that we have been given by God to share. We should celebrate in a manner which would cause the world to wake up and take notice. We know the giver of life! We’ve been transformed by the power of His love! We’ve been given victory over the grave. Why would we (even for a night) want to fill our minds with anything but the best of all that Christ has given to us?

Just out today, San Diego ranks among the nation’s most stressful cities. OK, I get Boston, Chicago and the Big Apple … but here? What happen to the kicked-back, life’s great, catch a wave and you’re sittin on top of the world, way of life? Has America’s Finest become America’s Most Frazzled? I remember that old joke with the punch line, “Don’t tell me worry doesn’t work, everything I’m worried about hasn’t happened.”

Joke’s aside, we’ve dug ourselves into a deep dark pit of worry with little hope of digging ourselves out. Our only hope is to grab the strong arm of a loving God and let Him pull us out of our worry pit. But instead, too many trust in treating the symptoms, medicating the problem and coping the best way they can (it’s why anti-depressant prescriptions are at an all time high). Here’s the truth, we have a proven solution for worry; not in a pill, a program or a prescription; but in a Person, Jesus Christ.

Worry is a problem in the church. I’ve even said it’s a form of atheism in a daily context. Mark Driscoll said “worry is a sin to be repented of, not a condition
to be managed.”

Here are some favorite anti-depressant verses that keep worry from getting the best of us;

“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you.
In God (I will praise His Word), I have put my trust.
I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?”
Psalm 56:3,4

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6,7

Peter was a worrier by nature, and yet he gives to us the antidote to worry when
he says;

“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
1 Peter 5: 7

So here’s our dilemma, in order to allow God’s prescribed remedy to become our choice of action we have to stop converting ourselves into believing the inner notion that we can control the events surrounding our life and their outcomes, thus having nothing for which to worry about. But life doesn’t work that way. Daily we strain to somehow deal with things we cannot control; affected by events we cannot change and outcomes we can’t alter. This is the hotbed of worry that keeps us from enjoying the peace Christ provides.

When I was in graduate school (talk about being stressed out) I came across a list of “action steps for anxiety” that I still find useful. I encourage you to give
them a try;

1) Remind yourself that God is in control (When all else isn’t … He still is.)

2) Accept Confusion (Someday God’s sovereignty will be made clear.)

3) Faith rules not Feelings (If left to our emotions we sink. Just ask Peter.)

4) Distinguish Needs from Wants (Give God control over what you need.)

5) Know your Job (it’s to follow not to lead. He leads. We trust and follow.)

6) Don’t run away (Let your worries chase you straight into the arms of God.)

Hey, if you’re a Christian there’s something really huge you need to know! Ready?
You are apart of something so much bigger than yourself.
YOU ARE THE CHURCH!

Now, I know many of us (including me) don’t always enjoy the antics of the local
church. We’ve all grown weary from water-downed teaching; Tone deaf to preachers enamored with the sound of their own voices; Discouraged by the slowness of change and aversion to become more culturally relevant;
Not to mention our utter hatred for hypocrisy. All valid concerns for sure, but regardless of their validity, all lame excuses for not being apart.
BEING A PART OF THE CHURCH, YEA … NOT OPTIONAL!

The truth is this, whether we always like it or not, the Church is, well it’s who we are! Too many of us (as Christians) are thinking we’d be better off without all the baggage that the local church brings. We’d rather prefer to turn this family of faith into a one man sport, but we’d be wrong to think that. We are The Church (singular), The Bride (singular), The Body (singular). It means this … our identity, purpose, meaning and reason is to be found in the church more than it’s found in anything else on the earth.

The Apostle Peter (who was not much of team player either) came to this realization; “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous Light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God.”

That means we seriously ought to consider adding this to the top of our Resume: “A PART OF THE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD”

If for whatever reason you’ve fallen out of love and fellowship with the local church, consider two things.
1) The Church needs you.
2) You need the Church. There truly is apart that’s missing when you’re not a part of Church and a piece in you that’s missing when it’s not a part of you.

St Augustine said there are two causes of sin: either we do not know our duty or we do not perform the duty that we know. That often tends to be the case when our fellowship tank is on empty. That’s why the writer of Hebrews declares, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

The truth is Church needs you and you need Church! Come and fill your divine spot in this amazing organism of God. Find a loving place to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth; Grow in His grace; Sit and be taught from His Word; Jump in and call it home. Let’s be who we are, for the glory of Whose we are!
LET’S BE THE CHURCH!

God bless you.