November 1st is the Christian holiday known as All Saints' Day.  It is the celebration of the victory of Christians who are united by faith with King Jesus in His victory over sin, death, and Satan.  The word "saints" is the common term the New Testament uses to describe all Christians (not a special class of super Christians).  We often sing the hymn For All the Saints which describes the joyful progression of Christians in all ages as they march with their victorious King toward heaven.

Just as Christmas Eve is the night before Christmas, so the night before All Saints' Day is called All Hallows' Eve ("Hallow" means "holy" and is another word for "saint") which has been contracted to it's modern name, Halloween.  In 1517, Martin Luther chose this day, October 31st, to nail his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg.  This event is commonly viewed as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation which was a time marked by a return to a robust delight in the overwhelmingly wonderful free grace of the gospel.  Hence, Halloween is also Reformation Day.

So Halloween is a day for Christians to delight in the gospel, the good news that King Jesus has triumphed over the powers of darkness and put them to shame.  Halloween has traditionally been a day when the powers of evil are mocked because Jesus has gained the victory.

“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

 -Colossians 2:15 

 

“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”  

-Romans 16:20

 

“He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.””

-Psalms 2:4-6 


All too often Christians approach Halloween with great fear - fear of the demonic, fear of the evils "out there" that might get our children.  This often causes us to retreat into hiding and isolation.  But we follow an all-powerful King, who is Lord over all, who by His death and resurrection has defeated the powers of evil, and who tells us to be bold and courageous and take comfort in the fact that He has "overcome the world" (John 16:31).  Yes, the day has been twisted and distorted, and much of its meaning has been lost on our culture.  But we who know the King should engage our world without fear.

On Reformation Day, yes, on Halloween, let's take time to delight in the gospel.  Let's not retreat in fear, but take the opportunity provided on this day to interact with our neighbors who come knocking on our doors.  Don't sacrifice any cats.  Don't worship demons.  But maybe give out some candy and engage in conversation with your neighbors.

If you want some further resources to reflect Christianly on this day, let me highly recommend two articles found on the Ransom Fellowship website that you can access by clicking the links below.

Halloween: Magic and Monsters: Discernment Exercise

Halloween: A Distinctly Christian Holiday