A response to Halloween

This is the response to Halloween I gave out at church...

I never went trick-or-treating as a kid. It had nothing to do with religion, as my parents didn’t attend church, it just wasn’t done amongst my friends or in my neighbourhood.

I’m only in my early thirties, but even I have to admit that times seem to have changed. Quickly.

Halloween is getting increasingly difficult to ignore. It’s in shops, day-care centres, kindergartens and (you’ve probably noticed!) schools.

Each year there seems to be an increasing number of trick-or-treaters.

And… Halloween’s not going away…

So, how should parents respond to Halloween?

Is it nothing but harmless fun or evil-incarnate? A sugar-fuelled time of enjoyment or a corrupting influence?

If you ask Google, you get approximately 31,100,000 results in just 0.24 seconds.

This short article isn’t about giving you a definitive answer, but instead, provide information to help you arrive at a decision which is most appropriate for what you and your family believe to be important.

Halloween raises, for many, two potential issues resolving around culture and faith…

First, no matter what your beliefs may be, should those in Australia celebrate Halloween, a tradition closer associated with North America.

And, if you’re a Christian, is it appropriate to celebrate Halloween and what options are there to respond?

In order to make some informed decisions, it makes sense to quickly take a closer look at what Halloween is…

HISTORY... Why Halloween?

Two traditions hide behind Halloween.

Halloween falls on October 31, the day before the church celebrates and remembers All Saints’/All Hallows Day. On this date, the church recalls and recognises the important people of faith, both past and present – near and far, who have been significant in a personal and communal faith journey. Halloween is an abbreviation of All Hallows Eve.

But the oldest tradition comes from the Celts who marked the New Year, and change of the seasons, by celebrating Samhain. Details can be confusing, but it was believed that the spiritual and physical realms overlapped during that night and the spirits could then walk the earth. People put on scary masks and lit bonfires to scare away evil spirits.

Like other Christian festivals, the church utilised a date of previous observance or celebration to mark a significant date on the calendar.

Should this history be a problem?

To begin, if might be wise to consider, for yourself, your family and your neighbours, what Halloween means today. Does it still revolve around Druid rituals?

Unless you have a concern about the dates of other Christian festivals and the symbols used, like the Christmas tree - a tradition which can be traced back to ‘pagan’ customs, then Halloween need not cause immediate apprehension.
But Halloween does raise some modern questions…

CONNECTION... A Safe Opportunity?

To start, is the idea of knocking on strangers’ doors safe for your kids?

Doesn’t trick-or-treating go against “Stranger Danger”?

Well supervised, trick-or-treating can be relatively safe, especially if done in local communities, amongst people your family already have a relationship with.

If done thoughtfully, Halloween can be a fantastic opportunity to connect with the parents of children’s friends, other families and your neighbours.

Second, do my kids need to dress provocatively?

Of course not. You control what they do and don’t wear. You don’t need to allow your child to dress as a ghost, witch, the devil or an overtly revealing costume if it makes you uncomfortable. There are plenty of alternate costume options.

But, is this something we really need to do in Australia?

You have complete freedom to choose what you do on Halloween.

But Halloween is celebrated in many parts of the world, particularly the United Kingdom, Europe and, of course, the United States.

Some would point to the vast number of imported traditions, North American and otherwise, we’ve embraced and see little wrong with Halloween being yet another event in a multicultural society.

FAITH... Discernment and Conscience.

 If you’re a person of faith, Halloween can be problematic with a quick Google search producing 1,3200,000 results for “What should Christians do on Halloween?” Unsurprisingly, opinions differ wildly.

At the core, issues not directly addressed by the bible need to be governed by two things, discernment and conscience.

If, in the surroundings of your family, community and church, it would be unwise to partake in Halloween, then, by all means, give it a miss. God would not want you to do something you cannot do in good faith (Romans 14:3). Instead, stay home and have a quiet night in.

Alternatively, if you can think of no reason which would prevent you from participating in Halloween, or no one who would be hindered by your participation, then feel free to get involved as much as you’re comfortable in doing so (Ephesians 5:15-16, Colossians 4::3).

Being guided by your conscience and the Spirit of God would be a good indicator of what you should do on October 31.

If you’re looking for an alternate way to get involved in Halloween, you might want to check out haloeen.com

The bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:31 - So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Our desire in life should be to please God, with Halloween being no exception.

But whatever you decide, if one has put considerable thought into their participation in Halloween and come to a different conclusion as you, it is not your (or my) place to judge them (Romans 1:1-5).

Comfort passages

Whenever I choose hymns for the morning service, I have the aim for them to be recognizable for the congregation to almost be able to recite the words from memory.

I want the songs sung in the morning to be stirring... familiar... comfortable.

There are some bible passages which can produce a similar result.

At my church, in the evening service, we're currently in the middle of a series on the Psalms. Last night I preached on, arguably, the most comforting and recognized passage in all the bible... Psalm 23.
I opened the sermon by mentioning that the words of the Psalm, commonly used in funerals, music and on screen, seem to connect with people, no matter what stage of life you're in or how life is treating you.

Everyone can use a shepherd, companion and divine host.

When a church is going through a time of change...
When a church is rocked by scandal...
When a church is recovering from division...
When a minister is just new on the scene...

People, including the minister, could use some spiritual comfort food.

Do you have an atheist part?

You're a church-going, ministry-involved, bible-aware, Jesus-believing Christian.

But you're sleeping with your partner...
You're a sexual atheist.

But you have no problem dating your non-believing boyfriend...
You're a relational atheist.

But you deny the supernatural elements of the gospels because you "know better"...
You're an intellectual atheist.

But you trawl for porn on the Internet, relatively guilt free...
You're a technological atheist.

Do you, as a Christian, have a segment of your life which, when you weigh up the attitudes you have and choices you make, look and feel atheistic?

Are there parts of your life where, as far as anyone could tell, God does not exist?

The two essential elevator pitches you must nail in youth ministry

In youth ministry you need two elevator pitches.

One short, elevator ride timed, spiel should outline the core of the gospel message. Mine boils down to FTH and is ready to go at the drop of a hat.

But I continually fail at the second, absolutely necessary, elevator pitch. Youth group.

Whenever I'm asked to give a quick gist of what we do on a Friday night, I waffle something about fun, games, talks, leaders and food, eventually trailing off...

And it's a real weakness which everyone attached to a youth group should be able to nail. Especially the leader.

Did Jesus get the sniffles?

Tonight I had the last lecture of my final subject - Christology - for my Bachelor of Theology. Dealing mainly with the incarnation and its results, we were asked what struck us during the course of the subject.

For me, there was a passing point made by Athanasius which blew my little mind.

Upon hearing this, my brains were splattered across the back of the classroom...

Are you ready?

Jesus didn't get sick.

At first, when I bumped up against this, it sprung my heresy alarm.

I thought, a part of the human condition, which Jesus took on, includes getting somewhat sick...
And, through the incarnation, God is able to sympathise with our suffering, thus including illness...

But I, relatively quickly, changed my tune once I considered two very valid points.

First, as Athanasius stated, it would be odd that Jesus, being a healer of the sick, could himself get sick. If nothing else, this would bring into question his credibility as a healer. As Lord of disease, theoretically, this should extend to his own body.

And second, there's another important element of human life which Jesus doesn't partake in. Sin. Just because Jesus didn't share this, doesn't reduce the absolute humanity He did have.

So, unless He was shedding a tear, Jesus didn't really have a need for the Kleenex.

You may not be a large Youth Pastor in disguise

Last week we had the largest number at youth group we've had in over a year. In fact, when it comes to the rough guide I use to track numbers, this is one of the first times I've achieved 80% attendance from the teens actively "on the books."

But, the number which walked through the door wouldn't impress many at the local youth ministry conference.

It's not a number which I could use to intimidate others or puff out my chest.

But, for us, it was an above-average turnout.

Today I was reading newsmallchurch.com and was struck by many of the things written because ministers of "small churches" feel the same as youth pastors and youth leaders of groups under (insert whatever a thriving number would be in your context).

The thing which caught my attention most was the repeated mention that every small church minister is not a failure. In fact (and here is the gold!), most ministers aren't meant to be in charge of a mega-church. Most never will be. God has something different, and just as valuable, planned for them.

And every youth minister isn't meant to be up front of a group of 50/100/500/1000 teens.

And that's ok.

The faithful youth group leader, sharing life with a handful of youth, is not a failure.

The youth minister of ten, faithfully telling those kids abut Jesus, is not a failure.

The youth minister of a group with a few dozen teens might not be on the cusp of explosive growth.

For, every youth minister is not designed to lead (insert the largest church in your region) and within every youth minister is not a (insert your youth ministry guru) just waiting to bust out.

Instead, no matter how many you have, you are called to be faithful.
Then you are a success.

Growing pains

I know, it's not all about numbers.
It's not even all about size.
Everyone can't grow up in or work at a church on a list of the fastest growing.

In fact, for most, they'll never be part of an incredibly growing church.

I've never been a part of a ministry which has experienced true explosive growth.

Sure, some things I've been involved in have developed through slower drip-growth, but never an Acts-like numeric expansion.

I suspect, few have.

But, for some, an atmosphere of continuous growth would be all they've known.

I wonder, which transition would be more difficult?

A minister, nurtured in a stagnant church, experiencing dynamic growth for the first time?

Or...
 
A minister, developed in a thriving church, experiencing a stagnant/declining church for the first time?

The vital step to "How's it going?"

Around a decade ago I used to work as a checkout operator at a local department store. At the start of every transaction you'd be encouraged to make contact with the customer. My statement was always "How's it going?"

And every time I asked, I not only didn't care about the answer, but I barely bothered to listen to the reply.

When it comes to church and the activities a church does with young people, there's a secret to making connecting conversations effective.

Stop.

When you ask someone how their week has been, stop.
Only then can you actually listen to the answer.

All too often, especially for those involved in church, when you ask a connecting question prior to a service or activity, you have one eye and ear on something else.

Is the bible reader sorted?
Are the prayers organized?
Is the service due to begin now?
Have those expected visitors arrived yet?
Are the details of the talk wrapped up?

If these questions plague you before a church service or activity, like they often do me, then perhaps you shouldn't engage in a conversation you're not fully invested in...

Because, without the stopping, you don't really care about the answer.

Five-Fingered voting

The denomination I work in uses the consensus model of voting in many of its meetings.

Today I read here a brilliant way to show your feelings about a motion during a meeting. The idea is based on the number of fingers you raise during the vote...

Five fingers. You’re all-in and prepared to own the project. You’ll take the lead if asked.

Four fingers. You give strong support and active participation, but you’re not willing to lead the initiative.

Three fingers. You’re on board.

Two fingers. You have important reservations but will support the initiative.

One finger. You have serious reservations but will not block or subvert the effort. You also commit to open communication regarding your reservations.

Folding – no fingers. You want to block the proposal because you believe it’s damaging.

I think this method covers a lot of important bases, beyond mere approval, but active participation/ownership, and alternatively, beyond objection, but the amount you're prepared to stand in the way of the idea proceeding.

The two questions which shape evangelism

When you meet someone, for the first time or otherwise, do you see them as someone who is primarily an object of God's love or wrath?

And...

Does someone need to be prevented from turning away from God or encouraged to turn towards God?

When it comes to evangelism, these two questions have a great deal of shaping your mode and method.

I'm not going to tell you my answers to these questions, but I can assure you, by the way you treat others, I can tell what your response would be...

Swapping your worship to click the next slide?

Some have the gift of PowerPoint slide transition. I, seemingly, don't. At least not on a black-belt level.

Yet I've found myself being the one, clicker in hand, on many-a-Sunday.

Really, it shouldn't be that hard.
Follow the words, click once when they start to run out on the current slide, repeat.

But there's one drawback which is true for all churches which use projected words or people who actively monitor sound during a church service.

They cannot truly worship.

Sure, they can be aware of God's presence and have an encounter with God, but it will always be stifled by the next impending click (which you don't want to get wrong or you'll cop the dreaded now-is-the-time-to-change-the-slide-glance).

I wonder how often this is taken into account at churches?

Ideally, the person with the clicking power shouldn't be the same one every Sunday, thus freeing them up to engage more on their "off" weeks.

But, no matter how regularly the word-transition person is "on," is it recommended that they then attend another service in order to get some them-and-God time?

Heaven forbid that the slide changer is someone who would dare close their eyes when they sing to God... I guess they'd get weeded out during the screening process.