HALLOWEEN
Reformation
Day - Redeeming October 31
By
Brad Winsted
Guest Columnist
What will your church be doing this Reformation Day, October 31st? For
so many Halloween presents a dilemma, what do you do with a holiday with roots
in the occult? It would be something like walking home late at night, past a grave
You rush home
with a sense that something is VERY wrong. You are not surprised to learn that
Halloween is now the most celebrated holiday of the year in our government schools
(since Christmas and Easter are BIG no-no’s). You will see the signs of
the event on schoolhouse windows and you can expect large celebrations of this
occultic day.
Even a cursory look at the origins of Halloween will reveal satanic
rituals played out in trick and treating, jack-o-lanterns, witches, ghosts, the
dead and on and on. If you've ever taken time to research any of these Halloween
practices you'll see the satanic background from the Celtic tribes of Scotland
and Ireland.
So, should we retreat into the basements and attics of our homes,
turn out the lights and hope that our ghoulishly dressed neighborhood children
will pass us by? Our children would probably get the idea that the reasons for
retreating are not sufficient to deny them activities every child loves -- dressing
up and eating candy!
Well, how about a Reformation Day party at your church?
I know that many churches have a "Harvest Day Celebration" or other such event
where kids get dressed up as Bible characters and the fellowship hall is full
of games to keep the kids off the streets. But I'm suggesting going a step further.
Let's make it a day where we can learn more about our Reformation roots.
October
31 celebrates the day that the Reformation in Europe began with Martin Luther
posting his 95 theses on the Wittenburg church door, leading to a firestorm response
in Germany. Why not use this occasion for a celebration of our Reformed heritage.
And yes, this can be fun for the kids too!
Why not have a celebration at church
where all get dressed up as characters from the Reformation (I've dressed up as
John Calvin, Martin Luther, a peasant, and even John Tetzel (the salesman of those
infamous indulgences)? When I couldn't get a 16th century idea then I dressed
as a Bible character. You can transform the fellowship hall into Wittenburg, Germany
or Geneva. Here is an opportunity to go over the great "solas" of the Reformation:
by Scripture alone, by grace alone, by Christ alone, by faith alone, and to God
be the glory alone. Have people explain them. Show a video of one of the reformers.
Draw murals of Reformation events.
Here are some other things our church has
done over the years: Medieval line dancing (a lot like Scottish line dancing),
Medieval relay races (put the indulgences in the bottle), bobbing for apples,
German cover dish dinner, acting out your character (don't tell anyone who you
are, but act it out -- the ideas are limited only by time and background).
Children's
Ministry International has developed a small booklet, Heroes of
the Reformation, that contains many of these ideas in it, along with lessons
on the lives of Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox and other reformers. Also,
you can order videos on the lives of the reformers from Gateway
Films .
Let's make October 31 a day of great remembrance (and educational
opportunity) of our Reformed heritage.
Copyright PCA News. Used by permission.
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