Many churches, in a twist of what I believe to be irony, have used Halloween as an opportunity to host an outreach event on their campuses (as a side note, many churches "require" a biblically-based costume in order to attend and participate...which screams "church kids only, go back home and change out of your Obi-Won Kenobi costume and wear something more appropriate...like a nice Hezekiah-inspired garb if you want to get our smarties or various flavored toostie rolls!"), while at the same time proclaiming the evils of Halloween. Twist of irony #1! The reason you have a "Fall Festival" is because of Halloween. This is very much akin to the fact that if you go to any LifeWay Christian Bookstore, they do not sell candy-corn in little baggies but they do sell "harvest seeds" in little baggies. What's the difference, you may ask? One is called "candy-corn" (and is obviously dark and evil) and the other is called "harvest seeds" (and is obviously good and holy)...same orange and yellow, same waxy taste, just a different name...and don't even get me started on the "testa-mints" or the t-shirts that say "Yoo-Woo is who He died for!" I am NOT saying that churches should not do outreach events on this night...I am saying do not think of yourself as being super-spiritual in that endeavor and be more focused on those outside of the walls rather than inside the walls.
I believe that God made each one of us who we are (uniqueness, not standardization...quirks, and all!), when we are (He did not create us in the Vikings era...the real ones, not the Brett Favre ones!), and where we are (my street, my workplace, my Larry's Giant Subs!) and based on all that INTENTIONAL designing by God, we will...when we die....give an account to God based on how we lived as the people He created us to be, around the people that He created us to live around and brought into our lives. Much in church, and rightly so, has been made of Jesus' words to the 11 Apostles (Matthias had not yet won the game of Yahtzee to take Judas' place...that comes in Acts 1:26) in Acts 1:8, "...you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." It is no secret that the three locations/regions that Jesus named are strategic circles...Jerusalem is base, Judea is further out, Samaria is even further out, and the end of the earth is the furtherest ring. This strategy of starting where you are, then moving outward is biblically mandated. In steps twist of irony #2! The one night a year that our neighbors...those people that God created us (individually and uniquely) to be around at that exact time that we are living where we are living...actually come knock on our doors, we are intentionally not there because we are at our churches celebrating "not-Halloween." To make matters worse, our neighbors are not at our churches celebrating "not-Halloween" because they are on our empty doorsteps.
As a church, we have strategically decided to stay home (or go to other more strategic neighborhoods)...not to protest Halloween, but rather to live biblically mandated lives: to reach out to our neighbors (even if for a second on our doorsteps or in our driveways), to ask and wonder aloud with the man or woman down the street why they call them "Fun-Size" Butterfingers when they are obviously much smaller and therefore are not more fun regardless of what the wrapper may say, to dispel your neighbors' notions that you are Ned Flanders and are in fact a real human with real problems experiencing real peace through God, to spend a little more time building relationships with our "Jerusalems."
As an ending comment, God does not condemn Obi-Won Kenobi costumes...He does condemn Jar Jar Binks costumes...because Jar Jar Binks nearly ruined the entire Star Wars Saga.
Have fun, be safe, meet new people, meet previously met people...invest life into them, and always strive to know Him and make Him known wherever you are!
