Podcast Introduction

Our reading today is Isiah 45-50, and I’m calling the episode “Surf’s Up.” 

After my comments, we will of course learn what happened “On This Date In Church History”, and I’ll give you my opinion as to whether a Christian should celebrate Halloween.

Comments on Isaiah 48

Do you live near an ocean? Have you ever been to the beach and watched the waves come crashing onto the shore? 

I’m a southern California native. For all but about four years of my life, I’ve never lived more than an hour from the Pacific Ocean. As a matter of fact, I used to go surfing early in the morning before school started when I was in high school. I used to go SCUBA diving. I’ve never owned a boat, but I’ve had friends that did, and I love to sail. I love pretty much everything about the ocean.

One of the things you learn about the ocean if you spend any amount of time in, under or on the water is that there is no fighting the force of the waves. When the swells come in, you can’t do anything to stop them. And if you’re surfing, and you have a bit of skill, they’ll carry you along and give you a thrilling ride. If you’re SCUBA diving below the surface, the swells push you in a sort of ebb and flow. If you’re on a boat, you’d better get your sea legs quickly or you’ll find yourself on the deck.

What’s my point? In chapter 48, verse 17 and 18 we read: “The Lord Who bought you and saves you, the Holy One of Israel, says, “I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to do well, Who leads you in the way you should go. If only you had listened to My Laws! Then your peace would have been like a river and your right-standing with God would have been like the waves of the sea.”

Your right-standing with God would have been like the waves of the sea. Stay with me…

God teaches us to do well and leads us in the way we should go. And here in Isaiah 48, He is talking to His chosen people. And He is disappointed. He says, “If only you had listened to me, your peace would’ve been like a river and your right-standing with Me would’ve been relentless and unstoppable, washing over you, giving you the ride of your lives.” 

It reminds me of 1 John 3:1, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us…”. Merriam Webster defines “lavish” as: expending or bestowing profusely. Isn’t it incredible how much our God loves us? Remember, love is more than a fuzzy feeling. Love is action. God wants to put His love into action toward us, and He wants to do it in such a way that we are carried away by it, overcome with it, thrilled by it.

Brothers and sisters, we serve a God who SO deserves our praise!

Should A Christian Celebrate Halloween?

To celebrate Halloween or not. This is a question that many Christians wrestle with, especially Christian parents. 

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), Americans are projected to spend $10.4 billion in 2021. About 65% of Americans plan to celebrate Halloween in some way this year. They’ll spend about $3.3 billion on costumes, $3.2 billion on decorations and $3 billion on candy. Greeting cards will take about $660 million. 

Clearly, a lot of people in America celebrate Halloween. But should Christians?

Some Christians do celebrate Halloween just by dressing up in a costume and having a good time, seeing the whole thing as a harmless beginning of the holiday season. Other Christians see Halloween as a Satanic celebration of the occult, with its glorification of witches, devils, black cats, skeletons and ghosts. 

So which is it? Harmless or Satanic?

Let’s look at the origins. 

The ancient Celts celebrated the Samhain festival when farmers brought livestock in from their summer pastures and the people got together to build shelters for the upcoming winter. Samhain also had religious aspects. They made burnt offerings of fruits, vegetables, grain, and perhaps animals to their pagan gods. And in ancient Celtic stories, this was a magical time of transition when battles were fought and fairies cast spells. Barriers between the natural world and the supernatural were broken. They believed that the dead could walk among the living during Samhain. It is believed that Halloween’s association with ghosts, food and fortune telling began with these pagan practices over 2,000 years ago.

Many of these customs continued, even after Christianity came to these areas. The church established All Saints Day on November 1 in the 800s, and about 200 years later it added All Souls Day on November 2. It was a day where people prayed for their family and friends who had died. And some of the people made the old Celtic practices part of this Christian Holy day. They put out food for their ancestors, or left a lantern burning in a window so that ghosts could find their way home for the night. Through the years, regions of Europe began their own Halloween customs. 

Some early American settlers from England brought various beliefs about witches and ghosts with them. And in the 1800s, many immigrants from Scotland and Ireland introduced their Halloween traditions. German immigrants brought their witchcraft legends. Haitians and Africans brought their voodoo beliefs about black cats, fire and witchcraft. 

So with these decidedly pagan and occultic origins, I think it’s safe to say that Halloween should not be taken lightly. 

The Bible does not speak specifically about Halloween, of course, but it does say some very specific things  about witchcraft and involvement with the occult.

Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 19:31, 20:6 and 20:27 says a sorcerer (or witch) should be put to death. Acts 8:9-24 teaches us that Christianity and occultism do not go together. Also take a look at Acts 13:6-11, Acts 16 and Acts 19. 

So I think it’s safe to say that there is much about Halloween that the believer should avoid. Is it wrong or evil to dress up in a costume? I would say that it depends on the costume. A demon or a witch or some other evil character would seem to me to be inappropriate. A cowboy or a surgeon or a princess, or other spiritually neutral character, probably acceptable. If you have children, I would not allow them to be involved in anything that glorifies or teaches the occult side of Halloween. Any involvement that a Christian has with Halloween should show that we do not shed our relationship with God on this or any other day, no matter what the world does. 

I’ve told you that I was not brought up in a Christian home. I used to dress up as Dracula or Frankenstein’s monster. All of that. Once I became a believer, I would still dress up on Halloween, but I would be a snow skier or a farmer. These days, I don’t celebrate Halloween at all. 

What about my kids? the Lovely Lady LeeAnn and I let them dress up, but they weren’t monsters. And our church always did a Harvest Festival in place of having Halloween. 

At LeeAnn’s job, the employees dress up every year. One year LeeAnn dressed up like Minnie Mouse. I’ll put a pic on the show notes page. She’s the cutest.

Am I saying you shouldn’t celebrate Halloween? Nope. That’s a decision for you to make. it’s between you and the Lord. It can be fun to get together with friends and have fun. Fellowship is good. Just keep in mind that you are a child of God and act appropriately.

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 45-47 ERV, Ch. 48-50 NLV

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The Team

Transcript Correction: Lifespring Family Berean, Sister Denise
Podcasting 2.0 Chapters: Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Sean of San Pedro and Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Michael Haner
Show Art: Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Scott Snider and Lifespring Family Berean Jason Paschall
Newsletter Publisher: Lifespring Family Berean, Sister Brittaney

Transcript

Transcript not corrected.