I’ll admit it, I’m not the biggest fan of Halloween. It’s not that I think the holiday is satanic or that it leads people astray or whatever. That’s a bunch of hogwash.
1 Peter does tell us Be clearheaded. Keep alert. Your accuser, the devil, is on the prowl like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, (1 Pet. 5:8) but I really think don’t think Peter was talking about blow-up Harry Potters, impressive jack-o-lanterns, and people dressing up as zombies. He probably had in mind falling away from the faith because of suffering, giving into the world through greed, or puffing yourself up to look and feel more important than you really are. In fact, Halloween might be MORE Christian than Christmas – at least this article thinks so. I happen to agree.
My less-than-enthusiastic support of Halloween stems from somewhere else. I’m not a big decorator. I don’t do costumes all that much, not even when I was growing up. My sweet tooth is INSANE, so my house will be lucky to have any left when the trick-or-treaters show up, which, let’s be honest, isn’t too good for me. Oh, and my dog barks his head off whenever the doorbell rings, so I’ve got that to look forward to. It all combines with me being a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to Halloween – Bah, Humbug.
But I know my scroogeness is ill-placed.
I love that parents encourage their kids to have an imagination and play pretend. It’s awesome people are just thrown candy no matter what, no questions asked. It’s SUPER important adults join in the festivities, lighten up, and not take themselves too seriously (looking at you, Will!)
At its best, Halloween gets us in the mood to do one of the most Christian things we can do: laugh at Death. The ridiculously dressed-up skeletons on lawns. The haunting ghosts hovering from house to house. The little devils with their red tails and pitchforks. They make a mockery of death. Sure, they all operate as a sort of memento mori, remember your death, but for us as Christians, they are also a way to poke fun at death.
Its power over us was defeated on Golgotha, the Place of the Skull (spooky, amirite?) It was there Jesus disarmed one of the powers of the Enemy. It was a masterful trick that ended up being the sweetest treat for humanity. Paul probably wasn’t thinking of Halloween when he recalled: Where is your victory, Death?/ Where is your sting, Death? but maybe he should have because Halloween reminds us of the folly of death at Christ’s work on the Cross, his death and resurrection.
Hopefully, I can get over my curmudgeonliness, get a little silly, and simply enjoy this day. I hope you do too.
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