• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Anchored in Christ

KevinHalloran.net

  • Home
  • About Me
    • Contact
  • Popular Posts
  • Speaking
  • Resources
    • Recommended Resources
    • The Gospel
    • Free Prayer Tools
    • 100+ Book Recommendations for Christians
    • 100+ of the Best Christian Biographies
    • 250+ Free Online Seminary Classes, Courses, Programs, and Book Recommendations
    • Accessible Theology Book Series
  • When Prayer Is a Struggle
  • Videos
  • Español

Kevin / October 24, 2016

What not to celebrate this Halloween

There are lots of things that bother me about Halloween. Below I describe one of them.

halloween

I almost jumped out of my skin a couple of years ago while on a walk through my neighborhood.

After seeing something from the corner of my eye, I turned my head and saw a dead body hanging from a tree by a noose. My mind quickly raced to calling the police and wondering who in their right mind would murder someone right in their front lawn and leave the person out for all to see.

Then I remembered Halloween was coming up and realized this was just a “decoration.” (And sheepishly proceeded to keep walking…)

At that moment a question came to mind that has never left: why on earth would we want to celebrate gruesome death, or death at all?

Isn’t it the worst nightmare of most people to pull the drapes in the morning to find a hanging corpse swaying back and forth in their front lawn? Isn’t it even worse when you consider today’s violent-laden headlines of gun violence and terrorist activity?

Death wasn’t part of God’s original purpose for His good creation, but rather entered the world as punishment for and consequence of our rebellion against God (Genesis 3:3). Instead of something to celebrate, it is something to fear for those without Christ. It should not be taken lightly and doing so subtly treats it as somewhat of an anti-Easter, a holiday which celebrates when Christ conquered sin and death at His resurrection.

You might be thinking I’m thinking too hard about Halloween decorations and should just stay out of PartyCity for a while. (I try to do that anyway.) But I’ll reframe my earlier question: why celebrate death? Why not celebrate and treasure the one who frees us from death and grants us true life?

• In Christ, we have life, and His life was the light of men (John 1:4).
• In a world with so many empty promises and worthless discussion (Election 2016 anyone?), Christ’s words have the power of eternal life (John 6:68).
• Even though our safety is at best uncertain in a crazy world, we can be certain that neither death nor life nor anything in all of creation can separate God’s children from His love (Romans 8:38–39).

Let the words of Matt Maher’s song “Christ is Risen” echo in your hearts this Halloween:

Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake!
Come and rise up from the grave

Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with him again
Come awake, come awake!
Come and rise up from the grave

Oh death! Where is your sting?
Oh hell! Where is your victory?
Oh Church! Come stand in the light!
The glory of God has defeated the night!

—

Two bonus Halloween thoughts:

1. Why not Celebrate Reformation Day instead? It is on the same day as Halloween and 2017 serves as the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing the 95 theses to the door in Wittenberg.
2. And for those of you wondering, yes, spell check does correct my last name to “Halloween.” 😉

Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPrint Friendly

Related Posts

  • Praying to Make the Most of the Grieving ProcessPraying to Make the Most of the Grieving Process
  • 25 Comforting Bible Verses about Death and Dying in Christ25 Comforting Bible Verses about Death and Dying in Christ
  • 15 of the Best Christian Books on Grief, Death, and Suffering15 of the Best Christian Books on Grief, Death, and Suffering
  • Of Serial Killers, Hiding Sins, and the Glorious Hope of Forgiveness in ChristOf Serial Killers, Hiding Sins, and the Glorious Hope of Forgiveness in Christ
  • Why Go to Church? 50+ Things You Miss Out On By Not Attending ChurchWhy Go to Church? 50+ Things You Miss Out On By Not Attending Church

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Print

Filed Under: Culture Tagged With: Halloween

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tom Newton says

    October 24, 2016 at 9:48 am

    Kevin,
    You couldn’t have said it better.
    Tom Newton

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Now Available in Paperback, Kindle, and Audiobook

Recent Posts

  • Recommended Links for September 2023
  • Ten Ideas for Cultivating Small Group Prayer
  • Recommended Links for August 2023
  • Praying Paul’s Prayer from Ephesians 1:15–23
  • Recommended Links for July 2023
  • A Biblical Tool for Cultivating Godly Emotions
  • Recommended Links for June 2023
  • 31 Ways God Can Use Your Suffering for Good
  • A Prayer to Not Waste Your Suffering
  • God’s Purpose for Your Suffering

Blog Sponsors

Blog Categories

Bible & Theology Books & Reviews Christian Living Culture Evangelism Humor Leadership Life Links Marriage & Relationships Ministry Missions Prayer Quotes Resources Social Media & Technology






Footer

About Me

I serve with Open the Bible. I wrote When Prayer Is a Struggle: A Practical Guide for Overcoming Obstacles in Prayer(P&R). And I'm glad you're here. Learn More about Me

Let’s Connect!

Follow me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

Follow me on Instagram

Subscribe to my channel on YouTube

Videos: When Prayer Is a Struggle

FTC Disclosure of Material Connection: I sometimes share affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through a link, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you to cover blogging expenses.

Copyright © 2023 · Digital Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...
 

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.