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weekly sermon 11-1-09 All Saints Eve
Well we have just finished with a holiday that, in the Christian community, has very diverse beliefs and feelings. I am talking about All Saints Eve; or better know to most as Halloween.
To begin with let me give you a brief background of Halloween, so that most will understand what it really is; instead of the highly publicized holiday that we see today.
The term Halloween (also spelled Hallowe'en) is shortened from All Hallows' Even – e'en is a shortening of even, which is the origin of the words "evening" and "eve". This is ultimately derived from the Old English Eallra Hālgena ǣfen. It is now known as "Eve of" All Saints' Day, which is November 1st.
The primary origin of Halloween is from the Celtic festival of Samhain or Samuin; pronounced sow-an or sow-in. The name is from Old English meaning "Summers End". The festival celebrates the end of the lighter half of the year to the darker half of the year. Notice we set our clocks back somewhere around this holiday thus resulting in it becoming darker earlier in the day.
The celebration has some elements of a festival of the dead. The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honored and invited home while harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm. In Scotland the spirits were impersonated by young men dressed in white with masked, veiled or blackened faces. Samhain was also a time to take stock of food supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. All other fires were put out and each home lit their fireplace from the bonfire. The bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames. Sometimes two bonfires would be built side-by-side, and people and their livestock would walk between them as a cleansing ritual.
Some consider Halloween to be completely incompatible with the Christian faith because of its origin as a pagan "Festival of the Dead." In more recent years, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has organized a "Saint Fest" on the holiday. Many contemporary Protestant churches view Halloween as a fun event for children, holding events in their churches where children and their parents can dress up, play games, and get candy. Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate Halloween because they believe anything that originated from a pagan holiday should not be celebrated by true Christians.
Religions other than Christianity also have varied views on Halloween. Celtic Pagans consider the season a holy time of year. Celtic Reconstructionists, and others who maintain ancestral customs, make offerings to the Gods and the ancestors.
Some Wiccans feel that the tradition is offensive to "real witches" for promoting stereotypical caricatures of "wicked witches".
Now let me give you one quote. “When you come into the land, which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, for these nations which you will dispossess, listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you the Lord your God has not appointed such for you.”
That quote is from none other than the Bible; Deuteronomy 18:9–14. This one quote from the Bible dispels everything that we have talked about in the previous part of this message word for word.
I do not believe in my way of thinking, in my Biblical knowledge, or even in my heart that any true born again Christian should ever celebrate something like Halloween. If you would like to celebrate a holiday at this time of year then celebrate Reformation Day.
I know that most of you have never heard of this holiday, as it is not commercialized as other holidays celebrated, so I will give you a brief background on this particular holiday.
It was on October 31, 1517, that Dr. Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the door of the Slosskirche (castle church) in Wittenberg, Germany. His bold challenge against the un-Biblical practices of the medieval Roman papacy inspired the Protestant Reformation. All Bible believing churches should celebrate the greatest revival of Faith and freedom ever. The Reformation was one the most important turning points in world history. The energies that were released by the rediscovery of the Bible in the common tongue led to the most extraordinary spiritual Revival in history. The Reformation freed the Christians of Northern Europe from the decadence of Renaissance paganism and led to the greatest freedoms and scientific discoveries in history.
As you can see, as Christians, instead of participating in paganism, walking with Wicca, being in harmony with Halloween, having our children celebrate cruelty, and dabbling in a day of death, we should focus our family and congregation on celebrating Reformation Day.
Yes I know that most of you will read this message and say; Halloween is a harmless holiday, celebrated by children dressing up and going door to door to receive candy by trick or treating, but I feel strongly in my heart that it is still a time of evil doing, that has been masked by the public, in order to draw us away from the true goodness the Bible has for us.
I will end this message on two positive notes. One is a pamphlet that was issued from a church that I visited during this holiday and one is my normal conclusion.
The pumpkin story is a story that was given out as a pamphlet in order to shed some light on such an evil holiday.
One day a farmer planted a little seed and patiently waited for it to grow. "God is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to be lost. He wants everyone to change his heart and life." 2 Peter 3:9
The pumpkin grew and when October came it was time to pick the pumpkin. The farmer took the pumpkin home and washed it until it was bright and clean. Next the farmer cut open the pumpkin and pulled out all the slimy pulp and seeds. The farmer took all of the gross pulp, slime, and seeds and threw them away where they would never be seen again. "He has taken our sins away from us as far as the east is from the west." Psalm 103:12
What happened next was simply wonderful. The farmer put a small, white candle down inside the pumpkin and lit it with a flame. The pumpkin glowed bright and beautiful. "God once said, 'let the light shine out of the darkness!' And this is the same God who made His light shine in our hearts." 2 Corinthians 4:6
As the night grew darker the light of the pumpkin could be seen brighter than ever. When people walking by saw the bright pumpkin smiling at them, they could not help but smile back. "In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do. Live so that they will praise your Father in Heaven." Matthew 5:16
The farmer had turned this dirty pumpkin into a wonderful glorious sight. In the same way, God the Father offers His children the chance to be made new, full of joy and full of light, shining like stars in a dark world. "If anyone belongs to Christ, then he is made new. The old things have gone; everything is made new!" 2 Corinthians 5:17
As you can see the pumpkin is much like us in the beginning. We were just a shell that God took, cleaned completely of sin, polished up to make us shine for Him, and put His light inside us that we could share that light with the world.
Lastly, I will leave on the second positive note. If you are still just a pumpkin in a patch and never been cut open to allow the sin to leave you, accepting the light of the world, Jesus Christ, then all you have to do is say a simple prayer with me.
Say this simple prayer with me, Dear Lord, I want you to be the Lord over my life, forgive me of my sins, and give me the gift of everlasting life. Amen.
If you have said this simple prayer, then we believe that you have received salvation. We would love to rejoice with you, so please drop us a note, in our link, to let us know and confess Jesus before man, so that we may send you a few things that we hope will help you in your new Christian walk.
With Love in Christ, Pastor Stone
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