Tricked or Treated?

Last night as we were in the middle of a Taizé service, I happened to look up and saw through two of the windows a George Romero-like Zombie and that lovely Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's mate, Frankenstein. I gave a cheery wave and returned to the prayer we were engaged in.

As I prayed, I recalled some of Shelley's words which go something like:

"No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, for the good that he seeks”

I am amazed at the way that Halloween is becoming more gruesome and gore-laden. Walking to the church for the evening service I saw a Mum with a pack of what looked like Snow White's dwarves. A couple of kids (who obviously didn't read the 'We don't do Halloween' poster) rang the doorbell. One had an eyeball swinging from the socket and shrunken skin revealing a wonderfully constructed teeth and maggot dental scheme. The other was dripping blood from the neck wound that the rusty meat cleaver (still embedded) had made.

Unfazed, I told them we didn't do Halloween and told them to have fun and 'be careful'. Something that some I know will tell me was a wrong response. But you see, I don't think I was (but am as ever, open to correction) for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, the kids hadn't chosen evil, they were out for a few free sweets and the dressing up bit made their quest even more exciting. They were not advocating evil, merely engaging in the culture that we have imported from the US. I went into ASDA on Saturday and the shop was heaving as people bought up the Halloween costumes and accessories (at half-price!). Just like Argostide (the festival formerly known as Christmas), this was an opportunity to shop and to show your child how much they were loved by spending money and sending them away from home for an evening!

Secondly, for most Christians, the war is not with children or halloween parties; not even with the costumes, but is against the spiritual things such as we are told in Ephesians 6:

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and shaving put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take sthe helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end beep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints . . "

We need to be addressing the real issues and targeting the real issues, dealing with the cause and not the effects. Those who are falling into error are only looking for happiness and things that look or feel good. So those who have happiness and real good should surely be sharing it!

Being portrayed as miserable killjoys is exactly the ammunition that those who oppose Christ and thea Cross are looking for. So let's use prayer, reason and a bit of grey matter, eh? Let's put on the armour and engage the real enemy.