the HALLOWEEN       celebration

The average American today, when talking of Halloween, thinks of a children’s holiday where all the children get dressed up and go door to door asking for candy. The folks who answer the door usually have comments like, "Oh, what a cute superhero!" or "Ooh, what a scary ghost!" thinking all the while that there is nothing wrong with this yet another "American" holiday.

But do you know how Halloween got started? Let me give you a brief history. Halloween was started by the Celts, who celebrated their New Year on November 1st. A festival was held the evening before, October 31st, in honor of their Celtic lord of death, Samhaim. This marked the beginning of a season of cold, darkness, and decay; and later became associated with human death. The Celts believed their "lord of death" would allow dead souls to return to their earthly homes on this day.

The Druids, who were priests and teachers of the Celts, made the people put out their hearth fires the evening of the festival. They would then start a great bonfire and burn crops, animals, and sometimes people, as sacrifices. Each family then relit their hearth fire from the New Year’s bonfire. Some would dress in costumes of animal skins during the celebration.

Fortunes would be made from the remains of the animals that had been sacrificed. From this comes our traditions and celebration of what we today know as "Halloween."

Halloween is celebrated every year by millions of Americans. Businesses stock their shelves with costumes, candy, Halloween decorations, etc. People allow their children to dress as ghosts, witches, pirates, and a myriad of other costumes too numerous to list. Children are taught that it is O.K. to go around and beg for candy. Haunted Houses are everywhere, searching for children to scare senseless. Deviant people take this opportunity to slip poison and razor blades into children’s candy. Witches use this holiday to offer sacrifices to Satan. Satan’s hand is everywhere in this celebration.

At this point you may be saying, "O.K., what’s your point?" My point is this: What is your purpose in celebrating Halloween? The Bible says that all we do should be to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). Can you glorify God while celebrating the Devil’s holiday? You may be saying, "I don’t care if I glorify God or not. I don’t even think He exists. Why should I glorify Him anyway?" The Bible tells us that "In the beginning GOD created the Heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1), and "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…" (Psalm 14:1, 53:1). God definitely exists. He is everywhere and He knows all you do.

He also cares for you. Most of us have heard the song, "Jesus Loves Me." Yes, He certainly does. And He showed this love for us by giving us the Bible, which shows us our sins and tells us the way to Heaven. Notice the verses in the following paragraph.

The Bible tells us in Rom. 3:10 that "there is none righteous, no, not one." And in Rom. 3:23 we read, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." This means that we are all sinners and we have nothing in us that will get us to Heaven. Rom. 6:23 tells us that because we have sinned, we deserve death – eternal separation forever from God in a place called Hell. But God cared for us enough to send His only Son to shed His blood and die on the cross for our sins so that we could go to Heaven (John 3:16, Rom. 5:8). But Jesus didn’t stay dead. He rose again the third day, giving power over death and Hell (1 Cor. 15:55, 57). Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." The only way to Heaven is through Jesus Christ. All we have to do is repent of our sin (Luke 13:3,5) and "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…" (Acts 16:31). Rom. 10:9-10 tells us "that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved…" Notice that both of the above verses say, "shall" or "will," not maybe. If we believe and call on the name of the Lord, we will definitely be saved. We don’t have to hope or wish. We will be saved.

Won’t you call on His name now? Do you believe you are a sinner, that you aren’t perfect? Do you believe Jesus died on the cross to take away all your sins and rose again the third day? Then bow your head right now and tell Jesus you are a sinner, you believe He died for your sins and rose again, and that you accept Him into your heart and want Him to be your Savior. He will hear your prayer and save you from the power of sin.