Halloween, Pumpkins & Christianity

Tom and I used to be completely against acknowledging anything about Halloween. When we learned that the true origins of Halloween were based in Paganism we convinced ourselves that if we joined in any of its traditions we would actually be condoning paganism, and thus opening ourselves up to demonic activity in our lives. Boy oh Boy were we blind and judgmental back then! I'm so glad we've changed our views and grown in our Christianity. At this time in our lives, we no longer feel that way, and feel that in the past we gave way too much credit and attention to evil and forgot about all the great family fun that can happen during this Fall season.

Until I had children. Especially children who loved to dress up like princesses. I was torn about whether to let them take part in what they see as fun dress-up and eating candy. Would we go to the church Fall Festival, Trick ot Treat or avoid it altogether? I decided that I would not let the devil have the power to steal my daughters' joy over something they didn't understand. By giving the devil credit in which he does not deserve, and making my girls feel left out, I may just be fueling the fire for rebellion later. Now obviously there is something to be said about teaching our children we do not completely fit into this world and some of it's pagan pactices. Christians are in but not of this world. We have different beliefs and our chilren should know exactly how we feel about certain Halloween practices.

In our family we dress up in costumes, and either Trick or Treat or go to the Fall Festival and get candy. I also let them dress up at school and do something here we call "Trunk or Treat". The Italians don't really understand the concept of trick or treating and tend to do some of the more pagan rituals. Honestly, for my girls, it's really only about dressing up. In fact, they never even eat or want the candy they receive. So last year Tom and I also decided to dress up and make it a family affair. The girls loved it and it was a special way for all of us to bond as a family.

I found a great article dealing with the origins of Halloween and the issues of Christians celebrating it. They compare it to the issue in the Bible of eating meat sacrificed to idols. They also raise the question I was thinking about last week about Christmas trees. The Christmas Tree was originally part of a festival to a fertility god. Does this mean that if we have a Christmas Tree, we are worshiping the fertility god? No, that is ridiculous, mainly because of the Christmas tree's cultural context to us now! The Christmas Tree has now become a symbol of love, peace, and joy! That being said, it's always a matter of your own personal conviction...

Every year my girls want to carve pumpkins. It's such an amazing bonding experience for all of us. Last year I was thrilled when a friend of mine sent me this amazing devotion using a pumpkin to share Christ. My girls and I loved it and it's a great way to bring Christ into the season. So I thought I would share it with all of you!

Pumpkin Carving Devotion

Being a Christian is just like a pumpkin! Let me try to explain, I brought this pumpkin here to help me illustrate what I mean. (Proceed to carve the pumpkin.)

First, God picks you from the pumpkin patch and brings you in from the field. The Bible says He selects us out of the world. We are in the world, but no longer of the world.

He then washes all the "dirt" off the outside that we received from being around all the other pumpkins. All the outside influences of our former life must be cleaned up. Old things are passed away and all things are become new.

Then, He carefully removes all the "yucky stuff" called "sin" out from the inside. Look at this! Yuk! Sin will not have such internal power. He then changes us from the inside out by the Power of His Word. That's why it is important to go the church and learn about God's Word.

He carefully removes all those seeds of doubt, hate, greed, and fear. He replaces them with the seeds of faith, hope and love. After Jesus is invited inside, you begin to experience the changing power of God's love in your life.

Then He carves a new smiling face. Our countenance is changed by the power of His presence in our life. We then become so grateful. It can even show on our face!

Now we are going to light this candle inside. Look! This pumpkin now reflects the light from inside out. So too, when Jesus, who is called the Son of Light, lives inside of us, He shines through our life for all to see. We can let His light reflect through us to reveal His presence. "Let your light so shine before men that they may be able to see your good works and glorify your Father, who is in heaven."

So you see, we Christians are really like this pumpkin! We will never be the same with Jesus inside of us. We can say like this jack-o-lantern, "Thy presence, my light!"

You can also use this prayer in conjunction with it. You can have them draw pictures of their pumpkin and share the gospel with their friends. This is good to do each year after the pumpkins have outlived their outdoor decorating potential.

{cut off top of pumpkin}
Lord, open my mind so I can learn new things about you.

{remove innards}
Remove the things in my life that don't please you.
Forgive the wrong things I do and help me to forgive others.

{cut open eyes}
Open my eyes to see the beauty you've made in the world around me.

{cut out nose}
I'm sorry for the times I've turned my nose at the good food you provide.

{cut out mouth}
Let everything I say please You.

{light the candle}
Lord, help me show your light to others through the things I do.