Treats & Truth - A Special October Post

I grew up in a home that did not celebrate Halloween. I was even withdrawn from a school year when my mom got wind of the nuns wearing witch hats and a Halloween festival of sorts was being hosted in the field behind the school. We didn’t trick or treat and we proudly claimed not to celebrate Halloween when asked what were our plans for October 31st. Instead, our church hosted an All-Saints’ Eve Night, a festival of harvest and a celebration of saints on the eve of All Saints’ Day, November 1^st. There were games, cake walks, candy treats, and costumes. Everyone was challenged to prepare biblical costumes. The intent was to keep the event family-friendly and Jesus-centered. We had your typical shepherds, a few sheep or other ark animals, the occasional Mary, and so on. But every year, someone would knock it out of the park. I remember one All St. Eve; my sister’s gown was beautiful. She was Esther the Queen and boy, did she look it! (Ester Chapter 2) It was only years later in adulthood that we were informed that my mother sacrificed her own handmade wedding gown to make the beloved handmade costume. My father typically went as a Centurion. A motorcycle helmet and a bit of duct tape to secure the bristle broom plume always took this costume over the top. But leave it to the teenagers to find a way to pull out all the obscure crazy stories in the Bible. We had John the Baptist…. or at least his head… show up ONE year and all the toddler moms were in a frenzy! (Insert eye roll here – they followed the rules - Mark 6:14-29) Even in all of our efforts to steer clear of the world’s traditions, they still had a way of sneaking in like a lion on the prowl.

Over the years, interest in All Saints’ Eve was lost to the more traditional and worldly spectaculars of Halloween. Trick or treating and Hallapaloosas took over and my children only know folktales of the Biblically themed All Saints Eve Nights we used to enjoy. I still do my part to limit their costumes to wholesome characters, but it is a slippery slope as “just trick or treating at Big Daddy and Gigi’s” has turned into a night of trick or treating in Big Daddy and Gigi’s neighborhood and visiting the haunted house before the night’s end. I question every year how to right the path we are on but have remorsefully allowed my children’s temporary joy and the lack of better plans to give way to the family’s activities and company. I wonder though, is it necessary to have a plan? Should we feel the need to fill this night with anything at all? And if so, should it be intercessory prayer binding evil spirits and dark forces that would seek to keep this holiday’s origins alive? Or are we ok with attending or even hosting harvest festivals, trunk or treats, Reformation Day, or All Saints’ Eve celebrations? What if we set them apart and not have them conform to the rest of the world’s expectations for Halloween? Is it acceptable then? I know for sure the answers lie somewhere between our freedoms to live in the world and still not be of the world (John 15:19) and instructions to not conform to the patterns (routines, traditions, ways…) of the world but to be transformed the renewing of our minds to be able to find God’s will in this matter (Romans 12:2). I mean, after all, our battle for Truth and Life on October 31^st is no different than any other day of the year and will not be won by fussing at fellow believers who choose a different activity than ourselves. 

This year, we will remind our children of the constant battle between good and evil and teach them the ways of spiritual warfare. We will do our part to prepare them to defeat evil by outfitting them with truth, righteousness, the Gospel, faith, salvation, and the Holy Spirit so that when evil comes, they are ready to stand firm (Ephesians 6:11-17). We will also take every opportunity to transform what the world has offered into an opportunity to spread the Gospel to others and to open our mouths to sing of His goodness in all seasons. Our family celebrates the season of fall. Specifically, we carve pumpkins, we make candy apples, we plan for and make our own costumes for school on costume day, we watch “Charlie Browns’ Great Pumpkin Patch” and “Spookly the Square Pumpkin,” we trick or treat, and we eat a lot of candy! When I look at this list, there is nothing that stands out to me as evil or unacceptable. But I do question, how do we look different than the rest of the world? Where have we been transformed? I can’t find a good answer, so I have set out to let my actions follow my heart and offer an alternative for my kids and my community. 

CLC CYM will host its first-ever Treats & Truth event with No Tricks! It is a completely free event on October 30th from 5-8pm and is open to the community. Our goal is to spread the Gospel Truth at a time when the truth can be hard to find. We will have trunks with treats, s’mores over an open fire, hotdogs, and nachos, and yes…. Gospel tracts and friendly voices ready to share the truth with anyone looking for answers. There are many opportunities this time of year. One option would be to stay home and fight from our knees, and there is value and necessity in this option. We need prayer warriors. (James 5:16) But another option is to be feet on the ground offering alternatives and Truth in a world full of tricks! (Mark 16:15) Let’s not quarrel over which option is better and trust that we are soldiers in a much more important battle than who does what on October 31^st. (2 Timothy 2:4)

John 14:6 "Jesus answered, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Event Information and Invitation: 

https://facebook.com/events/s/treats-truth/2943481085945979/

If you want to volunteer for this event with a trunk or in other ways, please contact:

Amy Plott 

8436700163

 clccharlestonyouthministries@gmail.com