Halloween is one day away. It's certainly not my favorite holiday at all, except that it's also the date when Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenburg, Germany (Oct. 31, 1517). Now that's an important date in Christian history!
Anyway, my family has participated in church-sponsored Halloween alternatives for many years. We have usually done this instead of going trick-or-treating with the kids. As a church staff member, I greatly appreciate the value of these activities in providing alternatives to some of the non-Christian aspects of this holiday. I've seen these programs help a church reach out to its community and share Jesus Christ. I fully support them and their potential in Christ.
However this year, my family and I will be spending Halloween in our own neighborhood. It's not because we want to trick-or-treat. It's not because we don't see the value in church-sponsored programs. It's not because we are endorsing the holiday - absolutely not! It's because we desire to reach our community for Jesus Christ.
Here is an article written recently by Dr. George Robinson that helps speak to this:
http://betweenthetimes.com/2010/09/28/why-all-good-christians-should-celebrate-halloween/
I went today and bought a lot of candy and Gospel tracts to hand out tomorrow night to families as they come by the house. We will also be going to visit the houses on our street, primarily to introduce ourselves and hopefully open the door for future ministry and relationship opportunities. Again, our desire is not to endorse Halloween, but to use this as a way to introduce people to Christ.
God continues to give our family a great burden to reach our neighborhood for Him. I must confess that we have been terrible at this. The time has come to obey what we know is God's desire for us.
We are certainly not giving up on church-sponsored events. But we believe now is the time to reach people with the life changing message we already know.
Pastor Randy
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