YEA Lesson Library

The Lesson

Let’s pretend for a moment that it’s 50 years ago and you live in the country with no electricity, running water or flushing toilet. You’re elderly and bothered with arthritis. Nature calls after you’ve gone to bed and you have to get up and make your way about 60 feet from your house to the outhouse. It just happens to be Halloween. And while you’re sitting there, three young thugs sneak up and turn your outhouse over with you in it. To say that would be a Not-So-Good Night would be the understatement of the year. Would you say that was a Christian thing to do to turn over another person’s outhouse? Well, this, along with breaking windows and severely damaging property are some of the mischievous things boys and young men have done on Halloween. These customs were made popular in the late 19th century, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, IV, page 862.

The modern celebration of Halloween originated from the ancient fire festival, “Samhain,” (Pronounced “sow-in” with sow rhyming with cow). Samhain was a joyful celebration held on November first of the final harvest that was first observed hundreds of years before Christ by the ancient Celtic people. Samhain symbolized the death of the old year and the beginning of the new one. The eve of Samhain, October 31, was the most feared time of the year because the Celts believed that at this time the division between the physical earth and the supernatural world became very thin. At this time ghosts and spirits of the dead were free to wander as they pleased.

In the seventh century Pope Boniface IV established All Saints Day to recognize all of the saints who did not have their own day. It was originally celebrated on May 13, but was moved by Pope Gregory to November 1 in the eight century. Many believe this was done to appease both the pagans and the Christians by putting a ‘Christian’ label on the pagan rituals. Halloween was originally called All Hallows’ Eve. This means the evening or night before All Saint’s Day. “Hallow” is an old English word for “saint.” This was eventually shortened to Halloween.

Some of the earlier rituals the Celtic priests (Druids) carried out during this celebration involved offering sacrifices to placate the various gods. The ritual was to frighten away evil spirits to ensure that the sun would return after winter. Is that what Jesus did when He encountered an evil spirit?

A father brought his son, who was suffering from seizures that caused him to fall into the water, to Jesus for healing. “Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.” Jesus didn’t offer sacrifices to placate the various gods. He did no ritual to frighten away evil spirits to ensure that the sun would return after winter. He had such a close relationship with His Father that when He prayed and rebuked a demon, the demon obeyed Him and left. It is Jesus’ example that Christians are to follow.

The Samhain, or Halloween festival included witchcraft, fortune telling, Ouija boards, divinations, casting spells, general destructions. The focus of Samhain was fear, death, horror and evil. Witchcraft, fortune telling, Ouija boards, divinations, casting spells, tarot cards and dabbling in satanic acts are certainly things a Christian should never be involved in.

How does Halloween stack up with God’s festivals? God’s festivals picture His mercy, forgive- ness, deliverance, salvation, and they give you hope beyond your greatest expectations.

Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, what- ever is admirable – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (NIV). We learned in our lesson about the Last Great Day that Jesus Christ will put an end to death and even tears and crying. God’s plan is of such awesome magnitude! It is so pure, so holy, and so good. We don’t need counterfeit days to celebrate that distort God’s plan.

Halloween observance in the United States, was looked upon as Not-So-Good Night and was outlawed until 1845. According to the Dauphin County Library System, the first official city wide observance of Halloween occurred in 1921 in Anoka, Minnesota. New York City followed in 1923 and Los Angeles in 1925. Halloween has grown into the second only to Christmas holiday in total retail sales. But does this observance make things better for our world? People are still keeping the old evil spirit and hiding needles and razor blade in candy given to children who trick or treat. It’s become necessary for parents to take the loot their kids receive to the local hospital and have it x-rayed before the child starts eating it.

These are not the fruits pictured in God’s festivals. This holiday does not picture the fruits of God’s Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Halloween, like no other holiday, depicts things God hates, “idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunken- ness, orgies, and the like” (Galatians 5:19-21). Paul goes on to warn us that, “those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Do you want to inherit God’s Kingdom. Then don’t substitute a Not-So-Good Night for God’s wonderful holy days.