Redeeming the Day

    Today is Halloween. It is a holiday about which Christians disagree and, since it started with the Celts in the U.K. 2000-3000 years ago, there is no Biblical mention of it. That makes it one of those disputable matters like the example in Paul's day of buying meat sacrificed to idols. Our church tries to redeem the day by outreach. One of the church families has a home on the east side of town. The older homes there are expensive, yet close together, so it is prime pickings for trick or treating. Kids from all over town get dropped off by their parents on those busy avenues. Our church college and career group stands in front of that home handing out candy for the kids, hot cider for the adults, gospel tracts, and invitations to church. Our pastor's family also uses it for outreach. They live in a newer neighborhood full of young families. I cannot tell you how many of the families now in our church came because they were invited by the pastor's family. They are very intentional in reaching out to their neighbors, and Halloween is the one day a year hundreds of neighborhood kids will come to their door, so they are ready with treats and invitations to church. Since their boys are in sports, they also have opportunities for extended visits with parents while watching their kids play, which leads to other opportunities like inviting the staff at the urgent care, E.R., physical therapy, etc.

    We cannot use the day for outreach because no one comes to our house. We live in a cul-de-sac where the houses are far apart and our end of the road has no streetlights. I used to take my niece and nephew trick-or-treating here because, since they might be the only kids coming, the neighbors tended to dump the candy bowl into their bags. As an aunt, too much candy would not be a problem I had to deal with. But our quiet doorbell makes me a little sad because I have such happy memories of taking my younger brother and sister trick-or-treating, even in our sketchy neighborhood in Missoula, and of taking our young children in the sketchy Kalispell neighborhood we lived in at the time. Pumpkin carving day was celebrated with donuts and cider. The only gross thing about Halloween was the pumpkin guts--and watching our cat Cisco eat them. Back then both our church and Christian school held carnivals as alternative entertainment, and businesses at our, now nearly empty, mall handed our treats.

    I simply refuse to sacrifice those memories because of pagan practices centuries ago on another continent. If Halloween is an evil day, it is because, in this world, all of them are. The Christian's responsibility is "redeeming the time (making the most of every opportunity Eph. 5:16 NIV), because the days are evil." Wow, I managed to post four blogs this month after all.