Hallelujah Festival!
Last night I did something that I said I wouldn’t.
I participated in what is called the Hallelujah festival. It is a church run event that gives kids an alternative to Trick or Treating.
Last year I wrote a post on my old blog about how I feel we, as Christians, should avoid celebrating Halloween together- this includes fall festivals, trick or treating, trunk or treating, or any other similar event. I didn’t understand why calling it something else but still celebrating should be acceptable.
Well, my husband was gone and in order to avoid having trick or treaters knocking I decided to go visit my in-laws at their church which was putting on the Hallelujah festival.
Their church is located right across from low income housing, in a pretty rough neighborhood. Not the place your average church would want to be, however this church considers it a blessing to be there. They have always been concerned with the neighborhood and helping troubled kids, teens and adults.
Last night was nothing unusual for them, they have been doing it for years. To me it was amazing.
Hundreds of children, teens and adults packed into the building, playing games, eating free food and having fun. It was the biggest witness opportunity I’ve been apart of in years.
See, instead of having a place where the kids come in, do the games then leave, although the doors were open all night, the kids came in and stayed. (loading up on some major candy while playing the games over and over and over and over! I saw kids walking out with boxes and backpacks full of candy!!)
The thing that I really liked about this Halloween alternative was that it was actually on Halloween! That is one of the things that bothered me about other places we went, instead of it actually being an alternative, it was in addition to. So Yes, the kids came and heard about Jesus, and got to eat free food and play games, but they still went out and went trick or treating too.
What about you? What did you do last night? Did you celebrate Halloween in any way, shape or form?
What do you think we, as Christians should do on this holiday?
Posted: November 1st, 2007 under unlabled.
Comments
Comment from Jes
Time November 1, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Well, it’s not that it has become a foothold, but it’s celebrating Satan’s holiday. I just don’t see how that is appropriate for Christians.
It is very important for us to know our neighbors, but baking them cookies, or having them over for supper seems like a better way to meet them and get to know them then handing out candy.
I read your post and who knows how much Satan cares about Halloween, but how much do his followers care about Halloween? I would say they care a lot! Even if they didn’t, I don’t want to see, or let my children see the evil that is out there in costumes.
I see your point about how logically we as humans get more irritated with people celebrating the religious holidays wrong than we do with people who don’t celebrate them at all, but do you think it is appropriate for us to do that with Halloween? If it is then I think it is more appropriate for us to have Fall festivals and completely celebrate it wrong AND spread the gospel of Jesus instead of trick or treating.
We all have our different convictions with things like Trick or Treating, and movies and music so I don’t think there is one ultimate right or ultimate wrong. Sometimes I wish Jesus would have just come right out and said “This is right, this is wrong” with everything, but I guess that would have taken a way a lot of our free will huh?
Comment from joanna
Time November 1, 2007 at 2:39 pm
I posted my thoughts on this last year and good discussion ensued.
In addition to last year’s thoughts, I have friends that went trick-or-treating or gave out candy this year with the expressed purpose to meet their neighbors, and I appreciated their perspective. You can’t love your neighbors without knowing them, and standing on their doorstep (or they on yours) dressed as a duck or a Ninja Turtle really breaks down barriers and gives opportunity for future conversation.
I know no case where Halloween became a “foothold” in someone’s life for Satan, and think the alarmist rhetoric I’ve heard surrounding it is kind of silly. But that’s me. Have you had a different experience?