Hospitality & Halloween
By Travis Scott, October 29, 2021.
As a pastor I find that many people tend to assume our family shuns trick-or-treating or that I’m somehow morally and spiritually opposed to Halloween. However, nothing could be further from the truth. While it’s true Halloween can be misused, abused, and become an unhealthy source of distraction - that’s actually true of every holiday. Thanksgiving, 4th of July, and Christmas are probably significantly more dangerous spiritually for the average American than Halloween is. Far from being opposed to Halloween it’s something our family enjoys preparing for and participating in. And every year I send my congregation an email encouraging them to do the same as a practical outworking of their calling as Christians in community.
Below is the text of my 2021 Halloween email.
Hospitality and Halloween: An Opportunity to Love Your Neighbor
With only three days to go it's time for my annual church-wide Halloween email.
In some Christian circles Halloween is a contentious subject, in others it's just not discussed, in our church it's likely not that big a deal. Let's be honest though, the modern church has a pretty weird relationship with Halloween. Sadly, that has left some people more fearful to admit they enjoy the holiday than of any perceived paganism arriving in costume form.
In reality the history of the relationship between the Church and All Hallows Eve is long, and in some places unclear. And yet the argument can be made that it is a distinctly Christian holiday which we should observe in attempt to re-enchant our sterile secular world.
All that aside, my personal take is much more simple and straightforward. In our time and place Halloween presents us with a unique and one of a kind opportunity for Christian mission; and no, I don't mean we should host a Hell House (those should all be burned to the ground). The missional opportunity I'm referring to is the simple task of loving your neighbor well. In our isolated age there really isn't another opportunity where hundreds of your neighbors are going to walk up to your front door with their kids. Post-Covid this is even more true. The nature of modern isolation combined with the stressors of pandemic living in the last year and a half make this one of the most important times to practice some simple kindness and hospitality to families, and particularly the children around you.
Halloween provides us an easy opportunity to show neighborly care and welcome. You can choose to turn your lights off and hope no one knocks, or you can show some love and appreciation for these little image bearers despite whatever images they choose to wear on Halloween. A warm smile, an appreciative comment about a costume, and some decent candy from a neighbor known to be a Christian might do more than you realize to break down stereotypes and help someone to eventually be receptive to your thoughts on how the Gospel overcomes true darkness and evil. And speaking of candy one of my pastor friends says that Christians should give out the best candy bars. I think I agree.
Simply put, in modern U.S. culture, Halloween is one of the single easiest days love our neighbors well. By doing so we demonstrate the hospitality of a Gospel that makes us other-centred and willing to meet people where they're at.
There is still plenty of time left to grab an extra bag of candy and be a good neighbor. If you're neighborhood doesn't really get into trick-or-treating you're more than welcome to join us in ours. Feel free to bring your kids to the best Halloween neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Or just come help us hand out candy to the hundreds of kids that are likely to come by. Bonus points if you show up in a good costume.
In Christ,
Travis
