Trick or Treat
Christians and Halloween have shared a messy history. Many church denominations have 鈥渞eplaced鈥 Halloween with Fall Festivals and trunk-or-treats. While the intentions are pure, the practice of 鈥渙utlawing鈥 Halloween might be misplaced.
Halloween is known as a holiday that delights participants in the cold, quiet, darkness of the fall. Teenagers and adults alike have often caused Halloween to be a time that embraces the darkness of our broken world. But has this rhythm made Halloween irredeemable? Many Christians have written off Halloween as a tradition irreconcilable with the Christian faith, like meat sacrificed to idols. What if this reaction was causing Christians to throw away the one day a year where the unchurched and unreached come to your doorstep to be served.
鈥淵ou are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid鈥 (Matthew 5:14).
Christians are called to be a light to the world: throughout the New Testament we are told that Christians should love each other and strangers, and will even be judged on how they love the 鈥渓east of these鈥. This call has become easier to toss aside in a post quarantine world where neighbors can go for months without talking and groceries can appear at your door without interacting with a person. It is not uncommon for neighbors to know only each other鈥檚 names. One of the only remaining community traditions that involves strangers getting together is trick-or-treating, and Christians might be making the wrong choice in opting out.
As most families take their children around neighborhoods to ask strangers for candy, many Christians are either leaving their houses empty while attending church events or turning their lights off as they refuse to participate. What if instead people around the nation made their way to houses of believers and were met with light? What if this Halloween, believers opened their driveways to many being reminded of the darkness of the world and invited them to a respite from all the darkness? What if you, in the midst of a neighborhood celebrating and delighting in darkness, were a city on a hill providing refuge to families and children needing a light?
Years ago, when I was in seminary, I had decided that Halloween was, at best, a reason to get together with friends and dress up in funny costumes, until one of my professors explained how he saw Halloween as the best opportunity for evangelism across the year:
鈥淲hat other time of the year are people walking up to your door?鈥
Alongside other people from his church and some seminary students, this professor would grill out and provide food, coffee for adults, and hot chocolate for children, for those willing to stay and visit. This practice was so successful that he eventually had to recruit even more students to serve food and beverages; his house became a place known for generosity and caring at Halloween.
My challenge this fall is for Christians to consider being a light this Halloween season, rather than shrinking away. Would you consider being a refuge for families during a season of darkness? Would you be bold to proclaim light in the midst of seasonal darkness? Would you be willing to trick Halloween into being a treat for the kingdom?
