Halloween and the Reformation

I find it interesting that Halloween and Reformation both fall on the same day: October 31st.  I find it interesting because both holidays speak to the same problem—how do humans, as weak and flawed as we are, cope with the forces of evil?  How do we find courage when the darkness scares us?  How can we go on when death rears its ugly head?  Reformation Day points us to Christ for the answers.  Halloween offers a different point of view.

Halloween is a very popular holiday here in America.  Retailers make more profits off of Halloween than any other holiday save Christmas.  But what makes Halloween so popular?

Part of it has to do with fear.  We love to be thrilled, and few things thrill us like danger and fear.  Of course, most of us are limited by how much skill or courage we possess; many people will never drive on a racetrack, jump from a plane, or do aerial tricks on a skateboard.  But anyone can get a thrill from watching a scary movie or going through a haunted house.

Another part of Halloween that appeals to many is the opportunity to dress up and pretend to be someone else.  Most of us lead pretty ordinary lives.  Many youngsters wish they were grownups doing exciting things.  Many adults wish they had been more adventurous in their younger days.  And there are people who are just plain shy, who long for an opportunity to come out of their shell and get a little wild.  Playing dress up on Halloween allows us to indulge our fantasies.  

But Halloween has always served another purpose as well.  The world is a dark and scary place, filled with unexpected danger.  Man has always feared the evil that lurks in shadow, waiting to pounce on the unwary.  In the past, some people tried to appease the darkness by honoring the spirit world through ritual and sacrifice.  This ancient practice is the origin of Halloween.  Over the centuries, Halloween has been slowly transformed.  The holiday still gives us reassurance in the face of darkness, but now the fear is taken away by trivializing it.  Witches and ghosts have become decorations with smiling faces.  Monsters are played for laughs.  Instead of treating the darkness with respect, we giggle at it instead.

But is it smart to giggle at the darkness?  Is it a good idea to trivialize the power of the spirit world?  Reformation Day points us in a different direction.  Reformation is a holiday that tells us to rely on Christ alone when we are afraid.  The message of the Reformation assures us that that in Jesus, God meets all our needs.

Halloween has become the time each year when we face darkness and evil head on.  Usually people don’t like to think about death, let alone talk about it; but on Halloween, tombstones become part of the scenery along with skeletons and zombies.  Usually when we think of the dead, there is sorrow over a loved one who has left this world before we were ready to say goodbye, but on Halloween ghosts become a source of amusement or cheap thrills.  Ordinarily, we fear death; Halloween is a time when we can look the Grim Reaper square in the eye and say, “I’m not afraid of you.”

Of course if Jesus is your friend, there is no reason to be afraid of death—ever.  Death cannot finish you because Jesus is stronger than death—He proved it on Easter when He rose from His own grave alive and healthy.  Jesus will restore the joy of living to all His followers on the Last Day.  The only ones who need fear death are those who don’t accept Jesus’ outstretched hand.

Halloween is also a time for make-believe.  We dress up in costumes for a variety of reasons—to overcome shyness, to become the kind of person we’ve always wanted to be, or to explore our darker side.  There are times when we get dissatisfied with our lives, and Halloween gives us the chance to play at being different.

But changing your life doesn’t have to be a fantasy.  Jesus is always ready to help you find a better path.  It starts with forgiveness.  Whatever mistakes you’ve made, whatever opportunities you’ve missed, Jesus can forgive the bad choices that you’ve made.  He can help you overcome your bad habits and your addictions.  He can give you wisdom to see a better way of going through life.  He can give you the courage to make a change, no matter how scary that change might initially seem.  With Jesus’ help, you can start becoming the kind of person you never thought you could be.

A big part of Halloween is fear.  Fear causes an adrenaline rush, and we all like to experience a thrill every now and then.  Haunted houses, spooky movies, scary books—these all provide a thrill.

But there’s another kind of scary thrill that has become very popular—the sexy, dangerous monster.  The two most common are the vampire and the werewolf.  Bloodsuckers and shape shifters are the romantic leads in countless books, movies, and television shows.  They are portrayed as the ultimate bad boy/bad girl.

What makes these particular monsters so alluring?  The risk of danger.  The thrill of keeping a secret, a secret that only a few special people are privileged to know.  Power is also a turn-on, and these creatures are powerful.  And there’s an emotional connection, too—everyone understands how it feels to be filled with dark urges that are hard to keep in check.  But monsters are dangerous—fool around with fire and eventually you will get burned.

Sadly, we are all monsters.  We all have nasty desires that must be denied—we crave forbidden pleasures, we get a twisted thrill from violence, and we enjoy the feeling of power that comes from making others tremble in fear.  Look at how easily love can turn to hate—only a monster could have such a fickle heart.  No matter how charming we manage to appear, time will eventually reveal how ugly we truly are.

Jesus understands the blackness that we try to keep hidden deep inside. He said, out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander (Matthew 15:19).  Yet amazingly, He still wants to be part of our lives.  Jesus loves us so much that He was willing to die for a monster like you and a monster like me.  He suffered the punishment that our wickedness deserves.  Because He did this, Christ has earned the right to forgive us—and He will, so long as we stop looking at evil as something interesting and attractive.

On Halloween, Satan gets a holiday.  By that, I don’t mean that he gets a day off; I mean that he gets the kind of treatment that he wants from foolish humanity.  Some people honor him by devoting time and money to thinks he promotes—astrology, magic, spiritualism.  A very few even worship him directly.  Others laugh at the supernatural and dismiss it as a bunch of make-believe.  This pleases the devil, too—if no one believes that he exists, he can operate in plain sight without being recognized or opposed.

The deadliest enemy is the one you don’t see.  Just ask any policeman who comes under sniper fire.  Just ask any soldier who has tripped a roadside mine.  Also dangerous is the enemy you don’t take seriously; how many angry young men have filled classrooms with blood because no one saw the warning signs?  How many stalkers have ended up committing hideous crimes?

When we don’t take the powers of darkness seriously, we open ourselves up to terrible danger.  This is why God warns us away from the devil’s playthings: Let no one be found among you who…practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.  Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).  This is why God urges us to regard Satan as a serious enemy: Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). 

We must take the powers of darkness seriously.  Yet at the same time, we must not be afraid of them.  In the past, people who feared the spirit world tried to please the powers of darkness with their devotion.  They became slaves of the devil because they were intimidated by his power.  But we don’t have to share their fate; we don’t have to be controlled by fear.  Jesus has defeated Satan, crushed the serpent’s head under His mighty heel.  The light of Christ dispels all darkness and unlike Satan, Jesus rules our lives with love and compassion.  He gives us courage to face every situation with hope and joy.

Throughout life we struggle with the forces of evil as well as our own inadequacies.  The world is a dark and scary place, and we are often reminded how powerless we really are.  When fear drains the color from your cheeks, how should you react?  Halloween says to put on a brave mask and laugh in the face of darkness.  Halloween tries to make Satan a joke and tells us that the best we can hope for is the illusion of happiness.  But the Reformation offers a better response.  The Reformation points us to Christ and all that He’s done for us—forgiven our sins, freed us from Satan, and adopted us into His family.  Jesus rose from the grave to be our living source of help and our guarantee of life after death in paradise.  The Reformation is a better holiday than Halloween because it promises a reality of happiness, not just make-believe.