Tis the season of ghosts and ghouls. Similar to Christmas season, Halloween seems to start earlier each year. As of this posting, we still have more than a month until the actual Halloween date, yet you probably already have seen Halloween candy, costumes and décor in your local stores. The benefits of a long selling season for retailers are certainly obvious.Less obvious, however, is how a long Halloween season might benefit believers.
The What
Through the centuries, Halloween has taken various forms and has been claimed by pagans and Christians as a holiday (Yes, Christians). A form of Halloween began hundreds of years ago when the Celts established the tradition of celebrating the end of the harvest season on Oct. 31, but their celebration had a twist. They believed Oct. 31 represented a day when the boundaries of the living and the dead would overlap and that the dead would come back from their world to haunt the living. Centuries later, churches coopted part of this tradition to honor deceased saints and martyrs. Today, nearly every tradition of Halloween—such as jack-o-lanterns, costumes, trick-or-treating—can be traced to an ancient practice or tradition that has either Christian or pagan roots.
Today, Halloween is pretty much all about candy, costumes and haunted houses. Whether you observe Halloween, you can’t miss seeing the season. Why not use the other world nature of Halloween as a tool to learn a truth deeply ingrained in the Christian faith? There is a spirit world that is more important than the world we see. In fact, check out Ephesians 6:10-12:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:10-12).
The So What
This passage reminds us of a reality that is commemorated by Halloween: A dark world exists that we constantly must battle. Thankfully, God has equipped us with full armor for this battle. Maybe Halloween 2014 is the year you lock into this truth. Here is a suggestion for a mash-up between Ephesians 6 and the upcoming Halloween season. Ephesians 6:10-12 above is arranged into seven phrases. During the next few weeks you will be seeing Halloween everywhere (e.g. in stores, in yards, in media). Each time you see or hear a reference to Halloween, use that reference as a prompt to recite a phrase from Ephesians 6:10-12. Then by Oct. 31, you will have this passage memorized.
Seal the Deal
Here are a few suggestions to help you make Ephesians 6:10-12 a part of your Halloween season:
• Keep the passage handy by creating an image of the passage and use it as wallpaper or screen saver for your computer or another eDevice. Or print/write the passage on a card you can keep nearby. Whenever you see Halloween décor, pull out the passage and read a phrase. Plus, anytime you find yourself with down time (e.g., waiting in line, sitting in a waiting room, riding on the bus), you can work at memorizing the passage.
• Create an Ephesians 6:10-12 key ring or bag tag. Cut up some card stock or use 3×5 cards. Write each phrase on a card, hole-punch the cards and string the cards onto a ring. Then hook the ring on an item you use every day such as a backpack, key ring, purse, etc. Whenever you see Halloween décor, read a phrase from your Scripture ring.
• Create a Bible text chain. Enlist the help of six other friends and assign a phrase to each friend and one to yourself. Beginning with the first phrase, set up a rotation so each friend texts his or her phrase to the group for a set timeframe when seeing a Halloween reminder. For example, for the first couple of days, the friend with the phrase “Finally, be strong in the Lord” would text that phrase to the group each time he or she sees anything Halloween-esque. After a couple days, the friend with the next phrase becomes the texter, texting the next phrase, “and in His mighty power,” when seeing anything Halloween. Move through your rotation until Oct. 31 and then text the entire passage to each other by memory.
In Genesis 50:20, Joseph points out to his brothers, who had sold him into slavery, that God was able to use their bad intentions for good. Let this Halloween season serve a similar function. Halloween certainly is not a holiday conducive to spiritual growth, but it can serve as a reminder for you to prepare and protect your heart from the devil’s schemes, and that’s a very good thing.
Barry Shafer is director of InWord Resources and has written numerous small-group Bible studies and teen devos, and is author of Unleashing God’s Word in Youth Ministry (Youth Specialties/Zondervan). He is a regular contributor to YouthWorker Journal, writing 10 Minutes in God’s Word each issue. Barry lives in Middletown, Ohio, with his wife, Jessica, and newborn son, Reade.
