Posted in Cultural Commentaries
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What do you do on the evening of October 31st? Some Christians have no qualms about their children dressing up (modestly and appropriately, of course; nothing scary) and going down their neighborhood (escorted) asking for treats. It's something they had done as kids and it's something they want their children to enjoy and remember. Some Christians choose to go to their respective churches for a Harvest Celebration or enjoy a Trunk and Treats evening. Others keep their porch lights off, pull down their shades and ignore the door bell ringing, if it rings, despite the message. October 31st is also Reformation Day so some families and churches choose to celebrate Reformation Day that evening with a host of activities related to the lives of the reformers. We don't celebrate or observe Halloween in our family. We reject its ungodly message of fright, fiction, superstition and despair. It's something the popular culture has created and we don't care for its dark and unholy history. And we tell our children as much. Most children love to dress-up and we provide other opportunities for our children to dress up for other fun occasions. But then we know that not everyone has the same understanding as we do. And the kids that come to our door are usually sweet little children dressed in their cutest. It seems churlish to ignore them especially since we can also be a witness to them. So what we have been doing the past several years is to use this opportunity to bless them. To proclaim the truth about God's love and His plan of salvation in Jesus We give out tracts with our candy (I would rather give apples instead!! All the sugar! ). We have either bought or created our own tracts. This year, our tract looks like the picture below. Feel free to use it if you so wish. With each tract we give out, we pray that the recipient and his or her family will come to know the Lord. Actually, if we could get small affordable Bibles, that would be great too! (Of course, if some families are offended, they might not return the following year). I'm aware that most of the tracts will either not be read or simply tossed away. But even if it's just one boy or girl or parent who pauses to read about God's love for them, then nothing is wasted. Besides, the whole exercise of creating the tract and inserting the lollipop is part of our discipleship process. We are teaching our children to use every opportunity to tell others about Jesus. That's our responsibility. We just keep on sowing seeds. We've been interested in observing A Night of Reformation too, so Lord willing, in 2008, we'll incorporate that into our school week. My friend Mandi has some great ideas! Read her blog and be inspired! This publication might also interest some of you. It contains a short play about Martin Luther plus instructions and illustrations for games, carnival booths, crafts, food, music, costumes, decorations, and art and writing projects. Cool! Maybe I'll blog about Reformation Week and Night next year!
This lollipop (sucker) carries
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