We're in full force prepping for one of our biggest community events of the year. This year, we're stepping it up by moving Trunk or Treat to the Cabela's parking lot!
Occasionally, I get the question about how Christians should respond to Halloween. For some reason,
Halloween seems to have become more controversial than ever
before. Some well-meaning Christians have come to believe that this is
an evil day where we should hide out in our homes and pray against all
the bad things that might be happening on that night.
This is a very
different reaction than the way Christians have traditionally viewed
this holiday. Early Christians took the existing celebrations and leveraged them to
hold biblical meaning. They used whatever they could as a way to teach people about
Jesus and the faith.
Historically, Halloween was called All Saint's Eve (also called All Hallows Eve) and was a time to
remember the lives of people of faith who have lived before us. Of
course, today, much of that meaning has been taken from the day and it
has become a day for kids to dress up and go trick-or-treating and rot
out their teeth with candy.
I love what Romans 14:5 says, "In the same way, some think one day
is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike.
Each person should have a personal conviction about this matter." This
means that there is no such thing as an evil day, but that we should
each ask God how He would have us recognize certain days of the year.
Personally, I don't care one way or the other about Halloween. I'm not
into all the scary stuff that's associated with it, but I know that the
families in our area will be looking for a safe and fun place to bring
their kids and it's our opportunity as a church to be a part of their
lives and connect with them through an event like Trunk or Treat.
Colossians 4:5 says to "make the most of every opportunity" to tell
people about Jesus. As for The Connection Church, from the beginning,
we have taken advantage of Big Days to serve our community and reach
out to our community.
When we respond with love instead of pointing our fingers at people on
Halloween, we are doing what Romans 12:21 tells us, "Don't let evil get
the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good." The fact is, we don't
have to be afraid of the Devil, because the enemy has been defeated!
For us as Christ-followers, we need to make sure that Jesus is the
focus of everything we do. When we come together at Trunk or Treat, God
will use it to help people make a life-changing connection with Him!