Halloween: Harmless Holiday or Holy Day?

“Trick or treat!” Many of us who never have doorbells rung or doors knocked on in the evening will experience just that on Oct. 31, which has turned into the secular holiday we know as Halloween.

 

Will this be one of your 
visitors Halloween night?

When we hear ‘Halloween,’ we might conjure up all manner of images. Little kids dressed up like Mickey or Minnie Mouse, Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol or PJ Masks characters. Or the traditional costumes of scary creatures like ghosts, goblins, witches – or even well-known politicians. All canvassing neighborhoods crying out, “Trick or treat!” and expecting to have bags they’re carrying filled with candy and other treats.

People have a variety of perspectives on this annual practice, but rarely do we associate it with a revered religious tradition. Before the day was co-opted by candy manufacturers and costume makers, it was observed as All Hallows’ Eve, the night before All Saints’ Day. The word “hallow” means holy or sanctified, so All Hallows’ Eve translates to ‘the evening of all saints.’

 

In some Christian denominations, the term “saint” is reserved for a very elite group of people. This would include the apostles, some martyrs, and individuals who are reputed to have participated in some form of miracle. However, the biblical definition of the word isn’t nearly as narrow.

 

We find an Old Testament reference in the prophetic book of Daniel, which foretells events of ‘the last days’ before the return of the promised Messiah. It says, “until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom” (Daniel 7: 22).

 

The New Testament provides a number of references that make clear that when the Bible speaks of ‘saints,’ it’s not referring to those that commonly come to mind: Saint Peter, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Christopher, Saint Nicholas, and others. The word “saint” simply means those who are set apart, made holy as a result of being born again in Jesus Christ, and being conformed into His image day by day.

 

In Acts 9:32, for example, we read that “As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the saints in Lydda.” These were living, breathing men and women who were devoted followers of Christ. Several verses later, in a brief account of God using Peter to raise a woman named Tabitha from the dead, it says, “…[Peter] gave her his hand and raised her up. Then, calling the saints and the widows, he presented her alive” (Acts 9:41).

 

The apostle Paul addresses one of his New Testament epistles “To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints” (Romans 1:7). Later in the same letter, concerning a woman named Phoebe, he writes, “I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me” (Romans 16:2). In effect, the apostle introduces one saint to a group of saints in another city.

 

Writing to believers in the city of Corinth, Paul cites one of the responsibilities the saints – God’s set apart ones – will have: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” (1 Corinthians 6:2). Seems like those the Lord has set apart as His children one day will serve as His Supreme Court.

 

In another letter to the Corinthians Paul exhorts believers to be actively involved in acts of generosity. He says, “There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints. For I know your eagerness to help…. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God” (2 Corinthians 9:1,12).

 

To Christ followers in ancient Ephesus, Paul repeatedly refers to saints – God’s people. He opens by greeting “the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1). Then he expresses his fervent desire “that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:17-18).

 

Then he explains the reason God has given spiritual gifts to all who are called by His name: “to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12).

 

I don’t know about you, but I think this is so cool – to be called one of God’s saints – not on the basis of some liturgical body’s deliberations and decision, but simply because the Lord has chosen each of us as His followers, His people, His holy ones.

 

So this Halloween, while passing out candy and treats to children disguised in festive attire, try to reflect that you're doing so on All Hallows’ Eve, as one of God’s saints.

Halloween: Proceed With Caution

With Halloween upon us, the annual celebration of witches, goblins, and candy corn, it behooves me to offer a few thoughts about it. 

I remember – in the “olden days” – when kids would canvas the neighborhood, whether attired in some chintzy costume our moms bought at the 5&10 or something homemade, like an old sheet with holes cut for our eyes. (It helps to be able to see where you’re going.) We ventured forth with our parents’ blessing, never fearing the “treats” had somehow been sabotaged or tainted.

 

How things have changed! These days costumes are so elaborate they can cost nearly as much as a suit of clothes. All the big retail stores have displays featuring scary “animatronic” characters. Entire stores are dedicated to Halloween finery. And some haunted houses are so frightening, movies like “Friday the 13^th” and “Nightmare on Elm Street” seem tame by comparison.

Nevertheless, it’s still the one day that mom and dad can send their children to carefully selected homes where the kiddos can gather a year’s worth of candy to fuel their sugar rush – all to be consumed over the next week or so.

 

Not to put a damper on this seemingly innocent event, but what do you suppose the Scriptures have to say about Halloween? Technically nothing. That name – or All Hallows Eve – as it’s also known, don’t appear in holy writ. But the Bible has lots to say about the occult and the unseen spiritual war being waged all around us.

 

Many of us have heard about what Ephesians 6:11 calls “the full armor of God,” proceeding to identify the elements of this armor: the belt of truth…the breastplate of righteousness…feet fitted with…the gospel of peace…the shield of faith…the helmet of salvation…the sword of the Spirit, which is the world of God…and prayer” (Ephesians 6:14-18).

 

But what’s this spiritual armor for – what’s it protect us against? This passage also gives us the answer: “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:11-12). These are sobering words. 

 

Many would argue, “Halloween is just a fun ‘holiday’ for kids. There’s nothing evil about it.” In one sense that’s true. Little girls dressing up as princesses or furry animals or even Barbie, and little boys wearing costumes like characters from Paw Patrol or Sesame Street or superheroes aren’t summoning denizens from the dark world. 

 

Too often, however, trick-or-treaters’ garb is more like the monsters of contemporary theatrical Halloween horror films in which too much blood and gore is never enough. If you don’t believe evil in our world is perhaps more pervasive than ever, you haven’t looked at the movie listings at the local theater. Or even tuned in to the evening news, for that matter. We’re powerless to dispel the presence of evil, but we certainly don’t need to celebrate it.

 

In one of his most powerful letters, the apostle Paul offers encouraging words: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers…will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). Are there angels and demons? The apostle clearly states there are. Thankfully, Paul also gives the assurance, “in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

 

In his classic book, The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis wrote, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our face call fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” Halloween, maybe more than any other day of the year, can prompt us either to dismiss the existence of satanic powers altogether or to focus on them far too much, inadvertently opening a door we wish we’d never opened. 

Trick or treating per se isn’t wrong or bad; many churches even stage “trunk or treat” outreaches to offer a safe place for children to collect sweets and perhaps experience a friendly first introduction to the body of Christ. However, to borrow the lines from the old song, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” 

There’s a very active, aggressive spiritual world all around us that we can’t see – but we can observe and sometimes experience firsthand its devastating effects. Amid the Halloween frivolity, we’d be wise to heed the warning of 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.”