Overcoming The Curse Of Halloween

Overcoming the Curse of Halloween

(Philippians 4:8-9)

A. Introduction

1. Halloween is a very controversial issue that

every Christian is forced to deal with. Every

year at the end of October our country’s streets

and sidewalks are filled with young boys and

girls that have one thing, and one thing only in

mind, CANDY. Many children dress up as their

favorite cartoon or Disney character, their

favorite animal, a pirate, a princess, a police

officer, a fireman, or one of their many heroes.

2. I grew up in a family that saw no harm in

dressing up for Halloween and going trick-or-

treating. We even used to have costume parties

and would bob for apples and would eat cake and

ice cream. Our family enjoyed Halloween and my

parents encouraged our creativity by letting us

choose or make our own costumes.

3. We did not practice Halloween as part of a cult

nor did we think of it as some evil holiday but

rather we had a good Christian time with each

other and our friends. We saw it is a time of

fellowship and good cheer.

4. Therefore I do not see anything inherently evil

with trick-or-treating or bobbing for apples if

it is done in a way that brings honor to God and

not Satan.

5. Every year the same issue arises and every year

it is dealt with in nearly the same fashion. Many

ignore the issue completely and turn their lights

off, lock the doors. And pretend they are not

home. But as parent you can only ignore the issue

for a short time then it surfaces to the point

where you can not ignore it any longer.

6. Many people believe that it is wrong to

participate in Halloween in any way, shape, or

form. But the truth of the matter is that we are

Christians and we have nothing to fear from

Halloween because it is just a day. But it is a

day that we must be aware of and not run from.

7. Today we are going to discuss overcoming the

curse of Halloween. The passage that we will be

reading from comes to us from Philippians 4:8-9.

B. History

1. The passage emphasizes that we are to concentrate

on what is true, noble, right, pure, and whatever

is praiseworthy. But then this passage goes on to

state that whatever we have learned, heard, or seen

in the author we were to put into practice.

2. The author of this passage is Paul and he wrote

these words while he was under house arrest in

Rome. We know from reading scripture that Paul was

not a coward and he reached many pagans by asking

them to evaluate their own religion and practices.

We have to ask ourselves today what would Paul do

in this situation.

3. We know what Paul would do in this situation

because he tells in his letter to the believers in

the Roman Empire.

a. Romans 12:21 - Do not be overcome by evil, but

overcome evil with good.

4. How do we overcome this holiday with pagan roots?

How do we overcome the curse of Halloween? The

very first thing we must is look at the history of

Halloween.

5. There are three different origins of Halloween

that have occurred over the centuries to give us

the picture of Halloween today.

a. The Festival of Samhain

1. The druids, members of a pagan order in

Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, celebrated the

Eve of Samhain on October 31.

2. This antedates Christianity and provides a

source of several modern day customs such as

ghost stories, bonfires, and costumes.

3. This was considered the time of the year in

which both good and bad spirits roamed the

earth. It was a night of ghosts, fairies,

goblins, and when bonfires were built and

futures foretold.

4. Although the Romans outlawed the druids, the

Halloween costumes of druidic origin remained

and developed to what we know today.

b. The Black Sabbath

1. This is a day that people practicing

witchcraft believe that their powers are

stronger and more powerful than any other day

of the year.

2. The most Unholy of Days

c. All Saints’ Day – Roman Catholic

1. The evening before All Saints’ Day provides

us with another origin of Halloween.

2. Celebrated by the Roman Catholic and

Anglican churches in honor of God and all of

his saints. It was established in the 7th

Century when the Pantheon in Rome was

consecrated as the Church of the Blesse

Virgin and All Martyrs.

d. Reformation Movement Starts

1. Martin Luther realized that Christians are

saved not through their own efforts but

rather by the gift of God’s grace which they

accept by faith.

2. On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted his