Halloween: What are we Celebrating?

Everyone seems to enjoy celebrations. And I don’t blame them. Life is full of reasons to celebrate. So, what are we celebrating by honoring All Hallows Eve.

I am not going to bore you with all the details of how Halloween got started. I am, however, going to skip to the heart of the matter. Halloween is a celebration of death. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think there is anything amiss about celebrating an event that each of us will face eventually. But, when was the last time we really gave our demise any degree of thought? When did we last ponder what that might look like for us?

Dwelling on death, in my opinion, is morbid. But ignoring the reality of it is foolish. How can we find a balance where we are accepting the inevitable without feeling like doom is looming overhead?

3 Points to Ponder:

• Know the Truth.

Death infiltrates our thoughts with visions of  mummies and zombies this time of year because Halloween brings it to the forefront of our mind. But, how accurate is our depiction of death. Will we come back to life once we are dead? Will we look like a zombie walking around in bandages? Will we be able to haunt that one person that seemed to make our life miserable?

For a Christian the only Truth that exist is God’s Word, the Bible. If we do not believe it or obey it then you must question if we really should call our-self a Christian. I make this statement not to upset you. I make this statement because a person is defined by what rules they choose to live by. We can call our-self a purple dinosaur but that does not make us one. A thief is a thief because he chooses to steal. He can say he is not a thief but if he steals his actions contradict his words. The same is true for Christians. We can say we are Christian but if we do not believe the Bible and choose not to obey it then our actions contradict our words. The Bible is the foundation for the Christian Faith. We are not true Christians without it.

• Accept the Truth

If you ask me this is a big one. We can know the truth but choose not to act accept it. The truth is we are going to die one day. No one will escape this fate. By accepting the truth found in the Bible we are embracing the reality of the situation. We are not saying we are looking forward to it or wanting to rush it along. We are saying, “It is what it is” and because I know and accept the truth I need to be mindful of my choices.

• Live Differently as a Result of the Truth

Now that we know we are going to die and we have accepted the fact what shall we do about it. We need to live differently. What do I mean by this?

Put God first and everything else will fall in line as it should. We think we don’t have time for this. But, I say we can’t afford not to take time for God. Again we can say we are Christian but if our actions contradict our words we are in trouble.

For a true Christian death is not the end. It is the beginning of something better. I know what you are thinking, she didn’t answer the questions she listed earlier. For the one who has hung on until now here they are.

Our physical body dies but our spirit lives forever. We decide while we are alive if we will live or die for all eternity. If we do not accept God’s chosen access to Heaven we will not go there. We must accept Jesus by admitting we are not doing things God’s way(this is called sinning). We must believe that Jesus is who God says He is,His Son. We must believe God raised Him from the dead and He now lives in Heaven with God. And lastly we must ask Him to take over and rule our life.

Will we turn into Zombies or be able to haunt others? There is no place in Heaven for Zombies or ghost with a bad attitude.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32. NKJV

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