Halloween Approaches! Good Christians Take Cover! (Newsletter Article)

This morning I walked into the grocery to a glorious sight – the Halloween candy was neatly tucked into the large shelves that greet you directly upon your entrance into the store. You can always count on the candy aisle of the grocery store to cue you in on what season is approaching (sometimes months in advance). See an orange bag of assorted bite-sized mass produced chocolate covered nougat filled candy bars? Halloween is on its way. Red, green, and gold wrapped Hershey Kisses? Hello Christmas. Sugar covered marshmallow bunnies and baby chickens? Easter approaches.

Where would we be without candy to mark our time? As a kid though, I was told by a teacher not to eat the Halloween candy I “worked” so hard to earn. She said that people might hide little razors in there. That was a risk I was willing to take. I think the real danger of Halloween candy is “candy corn.” It seems that for years now people have believed that this stuff is supposed to be eaten, but in my experience it is mostly composed of wax and more suitable as an adhesive for emergency home repairs.

Apart from the dangers of candy and the general scary nature of Halloween, some Christians have proposed that Halloween is not a suitable holiday to be celebrated by Jesus’ followers. But really, Halloween is really All Hallow’s Eve, or All Saint’s Eve, since the next day is All Saint’s Day, the day when we remember those who have died in the faith, who have joined in Christ’s victory over death to enter into his eternal presence. Really, what we recognize on All Saint’s Day is, to many people, the most hopeful and wonderful things that our faith proclaims – that death is not the final word, but God’s love for us in Christ Jesus is, and with it, eternal life beyond and after and above death.

So if anyone should be making merriment on Halloween, it should be us Christians, because we’ve truly got something to celebrate. If we dress up and act silly and (inexplicably) eat candy corn, we do so with a spirit that says, “Where, o death, is your victory? Where, o death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).

Not for eating.