Taking the Light Into the Darkness

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Halloween. To some Christians, it almost feels like a four-letter word. The idea of participating in Halloween can prove polarizing and confusing for Christian families.

When I became a parent, I had no idea how many conversations I would have on this topic. As a young mom, I turned off our lights to discourage trick-or-treaters and pretended we weren’t home. Sometimes our family even went upstairs, listened to worship music, and prayed for all the “lost” people celebrating Halloween.

As I grew in my faith and experience as a mother, I also grew in my maturity as a believer. My thoughts evolved. Here are some key points I learned and which you may want to consider as you think through a conversation about Halloween in your family.

1. We are called as believers to take the light into the darkness, not run away from it.

One of my favorite scriptures comes from Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV): You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

As believers, we are called the “light of the world.” If that is true, then why would we hide on Halloween? Or any night for that matter? Isn’t that the very thing about which Scripture warns us? Let our light shine. Yes, I understand there are endless theological viewpoints on the origins of Halloween. But my point is that we as believers always live “in the world, not of the world.”

The very command that Jesus gave us right before He left this earth was to go into the world and to tell others about Him. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19 NIV®).

The world is never free from darkness. That’s the point. Once we see the amazing love of Jesus that saves us from the darkness of sin and death, we have a responsibility as believers to share that with those around us. Dark things may linger in the dark on Halloween. But kids linger there, too, which brings me to my second point.

2. People are out. They are coming to you, asking for something. Give them Jesus.

Let’s be real for a second. Christians staying inside their houses with the lights off does not stop people from trick-or-treating. If it did, this would be an entirely different conversation. The reality is, people are out. In many cases, they are coming to your house, asking you for something. What other time does this happen? Most of us don’t knock on our neighbors’ doors on a regular basis to tell them about Jesus. And if we do, we don’t always get a favorable response. But on Halloween? They come to us. What an amazing opportunity to share the gospel.

How do you do that? There are many ways. Hand out Christian-themed candy. Give away the “good candy” everyone wants with a church invitation card attached. In the past, we have handed out Christian Music Kids Outreach cd’s. Be creative with this opportunity for evangelism.

If your community is banning or discouraging trick-or-treating due to COVID-19, then I encourage you to look for ways to still safely take the light into the darkness. Churches can host non-contact trunk-or-treat events. Or traditional harvest parties normally held inside a church can be moved outside. Remember to follow safety protocols with mask wearing, social distancing, and plenty of hand sanitizer available. The bottom line? Let’s let our light shine.

Such evangelism brings me to my final point.

3. The devil doesn’t get any of my days. Let me say that again.

The devil doesn’t get any of my days.

I belong to Jesus. My days belong to Jesus. My children belong to Jesus. Period. I refuse to allow the enemy to have his own “day” in our lives. Instead, I will use that day to redeem and restore what the enemy has stolen from Christians for years.

Rachael Groll