Now that we have children I'm more interested in being well informed about these holidays & traditions we celebrate. I want to know why we celebrate them & where they come from. I've grown up knowing Halloween is an evil holiday & is about death, ghosts, demons, witches, magic & various other demonic ideas. I want to know why these things started & what they are about. I want to be able to inform my children when they start asking these questions. Also, with accurate information & history we, as a family, can decide how we will celebrate these days. So... I spent some time the other night doing a mini-research on Halloween, & this is my overall findings- yes, the roots of Halloween are evil. However, I do believe that most families in America simply celebrate for the fun of carving pumpkins, dressing up & getting candy. I don't think most people are in it for the evil. And it is certainly not my heart to condemn people who participate in Halloween's traditions for the fun & candy. We all have our different convictions. That's all I want to say because I know topics like this are controversial... & I don't have much time. :) Read this to learn more about Halloween.
Anyway, our family has decided take the opportunity of Halloween's darkness & make it about Jesus. We had a fun time carving Eli's pumpkin last night. We talked about the Lord changing our filthy, sinful insides & making us a new creation when we believe in Him- Just like we carve out the pumpkin's yucky seeds. Then, He puts his 'light' in us to shine for the world to see. I'm sure Eli didn't really understand all that we were saying, but our aim is to teach our children that although we are not of the world, we are in it; and while we are in it, we are to be a witness for Christ. When we are followers of Christ, we often have a conflict-of-interest with the world. We are different than the world. We serve different Gods. We are not to participate in all the world has to offer, but we are to act in accordance with what God's word says. We are to be imitators of Christ & bold witnesses for Him. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Rom. 12:2
Our church does an outreach on Halloween night. We use the Corvallis fair grounds to put on a really fun Harvest Carnival for kids to come have a good time & learn about Jesus. Look at Eli last year at the Harvest Carnival. I can't believe how much he's grown in a year. Not to mention how much Noah has grown! He was just a month old embryo last Halloween. :)
Sorry, this video is hard to see in the dark. Just listen- its super cute!
1 comment:
Oh my goodness, that is so cute of Eli and the cross! That is good about the pumpkin carving too. I think that I've heard it before, but I have completely forgot about it. It is so good to be focused on the Lord and to make it about Him. That is such a good idea that I think I'll do it for Russell too. Eli and Noah were sure cute too at the Harvest Carnival, it makes me sad that we didn't get to see you more. I love you, Jess.
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